Werewolf Rehabilitation Camp
by Insanity-Plus
Summary: Lycanthropy isn't a curse, but a disease. A disease Ichigo Kurosaki must live with inside the walls of his own hell. Everyday is torture, and every night is pain. Can Rukia Kuchiki save him, and set him free? IchiRuki! R&R! REVAMPED!
1. Prologue

**This story was posted on November 21, 2010. The night of the blue Full Moon. **

**Prologue!**

**-Edited-**

* * *

_**January 13, 1977. **_

_An epidemic has crossed the nation. Due to a recent disaster in Romania involving a science experiment gone awry a wave of chemicals has been released into a select few towns that enters the bloodstream through a cut or scrape. When these unique assortment of toxins enter the bloodstream the infected takes on a sudden and painful transformation that occurs during the full moon. _

_The full moon stimulates the change because of the array of silver based substances merged within the system. This, along with a combination of other chemicals and the DNA of a wolf, forces upon the infected a metamorphosis that turns the victims into a large humanoid monster with claws and the head of a wolf._

_It is unknown at the moment how this Change takes effect, or why it happens solely on the night of the full moon. No subject has been captured for further study as of yet, but hopes are high for the future. _

_**March 2, 1977.**_

_Further testing on the infected has shown signs of Multiple Personality Disorder. The degree of this diagnoses is still unknown, for tests continue on the infected and scientists invoke hope in the media for their discovery of the cause of the near psychosis stability of the infected subjects._

_Along with MPD, the subjects show signs of Schizophrenia, have episodes of extreme temper despite full moon and have shown the ability to digest raw meat without repercussions. All this, alongside heightened senses and improved muscle tissue and ligaments, have proved rather intriguing to scientists of all fields. _

_Further study is required. _

_**September 27, 1977.**_

_The new disease has been dubbed "Lycanthropy". The metamorphosis that takes place during the full moon, specifically from _8:00PM_ to _6:00AM_, is identical to the horror movie genre depiction of the age old myth of Werewolves. _

_Although similar in nearly every way, this is to NOT be confused for the supernatural. This occurrence is based off the Romanian doctor, Urahara Kisuke's failure in his attempts to cure Neurological and Mental Disorder. _

"_This affliction is Science based," say scientists. "Not Supernatural."_

_**August 12, 1978.**_

"_Lycanthropy" has spread across the globe; the majority being in such countries as America, Europe, Russia, China, and Japan; due to the disease's easily infectious factor. Once the victim is infected they may pass along the disease by biting or scratching another when Changed. The chemicals are passed along through the saliva and/or nail clippings into the bloodstream. As such, this disease has been dubbed "The most dangerous infection on the planet". _

_**December 2, 1978.**_

_Experiments on deceased have proven difficult. Once the fully transformed subject dies, he/she reverts directly to their natural form. The human form 'werewolf'- as the public so fondly calls them- is no much different than a normal person. Bone structure is 13 percent more dense, while muscular tissue has been hardened by near 20 percent. Senses are more acute, similar to a cat's. Tests for _night vision_ have proven negative. Organ productivity is at a high, while blood pressure is high as well. Extra bone tissue have formed within the arms and skull, fabricating as the claws and teeth of the fully transformed 'werewolf'. _

_Desire for an experiment on a fully Changed subject runs amok throughout the scientific community, but to capture a fully transformed 'werewolf' is unethical. They are extremely volatile and dangerous, making it impossible to keep one in custody on a full moon. Sedatives have proven useless, for the immune system of a subject is abnormally strong and the chemicals of a sedative is processed then rejected quickly. _

_No experiments are possible at this time on a 'werewolf'._

_**May 2, 1979.**_

_The death rate has increased exponentially since the outburst of "Lycanthropy". SWAT teams from all over the world have gone out to contain the infected into camps designed for study of the infected in hopes of a possible cure. _

_Many protest these camps, saying that they are similar to the _Concentration Camps _of Nazi Germany. Leaders ensure that in these camps the infected shall be treated well and be given whatever accustoms they request. _

_Though camera crews and civilians are not permitted to film/see anything that happens behind the barbed wire fences that hold in the infected: Scientists ensure safety for both infected and non-infected. Scientists of all sorts have been assigned to these camps to study the subjects more thoroughly, containing them in steal cages to monitor their actions on a full moon._

_Expectations for a cure in the next year is at a high. _


	2. Part 1

**Part 1!**

**-Edited-**

* * *

_**October 5, 1984.**_

_**WW Rehabilitation Camp #337804, Japan. **_

Ichigo spat out the grime and muck that inadvertently entered his mouth as he was slammed down hard to the ground. The man standing over him was smirking boisterously, holding up his fists in preparation of Ichigo's counter move. He had caught the boy off guard, and had slammed a hard fist into the back of his head, sending him tumbling forward into the mud.

Ichigo growled, agitated to have been attacked unannounced and for no apparent reason. He jumped to his feet and charged the larger man head first, tackling him down to the ground. A crowd began to brew around the fighting pair as he drove his fists down hard into the ugly man's face. Anger was bubbling beneath the surface, and nothing could stop him now that he was in motion.

"Hey! Quit it!" The guards were trampling through the small crowd, their body armor giving them great leverage. Two men in black armor with guns slung around their backs restrained Ichigo, pulling him into a lock and yanking him off the bloodied man below him. Two others tended to the unconscious man as Ichigo was dragged off to be punished.

Ichigo struggled against the guard's grasp on him. He hated to be man-handled, and he knew that whatever punishment they dealt out would be unjust and cruel. It wasn't _his_ fault the fight started. The other man had thrown the first punch. The nineteen-year-old boy was just staring listlessly out through the barbed-wire fence at the silent forest when he was jumped.

"Let me go!" He cried out, snarling and flailing about. The men had a firm grasp under his arms, hindering his general movement. Anger was stirring inside his gut, and it only angered him more to think he was not going to win this.

The guards stripped him down and threw him into the Dungeon, a dark mucky room with no lights or windows and only a bucket to use for a bathroom. They tossed him into the cold dark room and locked the door behind him before he could turn and try to run. He shivered, his naked body reacting to the temperature. The room was specifically made to be cold in order to 'properly' punish the delinquents. But due to the prisoners' increased body heat they had to turn the conditioners to an extremely low temp for it to truly effect the punished.

Ichigo slammed his fist into the metal door with a bark, not caring that he'd most likely broken a finger or two. It'd heal in an hour, as would the gash on the back of his head. The wounds always heal. Be it an hour, or two or three they healed to near perfection. Not a scar marred his flesh, bar the four jagged marks that ran along his shoulder to his hip.

He tenderly touched the scars. They were all he would ever keep in this hell. He lost everything the day he gained these marks. His family, his friends, his home. They were all gone.

Ichigo was taken away from his family nearly a year ago. After being attacked by a large animal-thing he was taken by a team of those bastard guards to this horrid place. At the time, neither he or his family understood why he was being taken away, and were outraged to find out he was to be taken. He had fought tooth and nail to escape the men in black armor, but they tasered him and he was unconscious until he found himself inside of a white van taking him across the country to this camp.

Confused and terrified; he had tried to reason he shouldn't be here. He'd run up to every guard or scientist he saw and plead that it was a mistake. He wasn't one of _those_. He was just attacked by a...

That had alluded him for a time. What he had seen that night was a monster, a terrible creature that was unfit to walk this earth. And it had scratched him, its long, jagged black claws digging deep into his flesh to create these four scars that would haunt him forever.

_A Werewolf..._ His lips peeled back in disgust. It was confirmed the next full moon. He had been locked away in a solitary cage under the building alongside other cages filled with people. Ichigo had yelled, cried, and begged to be let free. He knew what was to come. The people around him were resigned to what lay ahead, some looking at him with interest, as if they had seen this a hundred times before.

Ichigo feared he'd be in danger with all of these monsters around him. But he hadn't have worried, for when 8 PM came around he too fell and began to transform. Limbs and skin ripping and tearing into something that Ichigo could never accept. Something he'd fear for the rest of his life.

As he adjusted his weight against the cold, hard stone wall he scowled at the memory of waking up to find he had gone on a similar rampage as the rest of the room's occupants. He was a werewolf. Infected by the disease that had swept the Nations in a flurry of fur and fang.

Forever cursed, forever alone.

Ichigo sighed as he closed his eyes and tried to sleep. But it was too hard, for his skin prickled and his nose caught the scent of the bucket in the corner. He groaned and slammed his hand against the wall again.

The camp was more a prison than a rehabilitation center. The dark room he was trapped in was a common punishment in Prison systems, known as the "Hole". The guards outside fondly referred to it as a "Dungeon".

He had only been thrown in this place three times, excluding this time. The first time was when he first arrived and punched out a guard in shock. He hadn't known why he was here, and he had still believed strongly that he wasn't a werewolf. They threw him in here and he puked at the strange smells that invaded his nose.

The second, and third time were both because of fights, much like this time as well. Here in the camp there isn't much to do during recess- a designated time where the werewolves are allowed to roam a confined space outside to keep themselves in shape- other than fight and exercise. He had been, and still is a favorite among the crowd to fight for the fact that out of all of them he's the freak because of his spiky orange hair. Out of a group of WEREWOLVES _he's_ the freak because of his hair. _Perfect._

Ichigo snorted, half in spite and half to try and rid of the foul taste of dirt from his mouth. What had he done to deserve this? Of all the things he's done in life, what was it that sent him here? What made him what he is and why?

_I'll never know...and that's my downfall. _

–

It was a whole week before they let him free from the Dungeon. A whole week of sitting and mulling over the negatives of life while he sat in total silence; waiting for his food to come in through a locked slot in the door just to be a part of some activity.

The guards handed him a fresh pair of clothing- a white T shirt and white pants with no shoes or socks- and led him down the corridor back to his bunk. The prisoners of this camp were kept in cells under the facility with up to four partners. Ichigo had only one cellmate, a quiet, boulder of a man named Yasutora Sado. The man, who Ichigo dubbed "Chad" in an attempt to goad him into talking, was visiting Japan from Mexico when he was attacked. He was the same age as the orange haired man.

Ichigo was left to his devices when he arrived to his cell. The guards moved on down the corridor to attend other business, which suited him fine. He didn't want them hovering over his shoulder.

The cell was small, with a sink and toilet in the corner and two sets of bunk beds at each end of the room. It was lit by a single light bulb that hung from the ceiling, and had no window. It was terrible, but at least Ichigo could be thankful he wasn't claustrophobic like some other frantic inmates.

_I swear this place use to be a prison. The structural design is much too similar._

No one ever said it, but Ichigo knew it to be true. The facility was fabricated from a prison that closed down a sum 20 years ago. And as such the mentality of the subjects constructed themselves to be like real prisoners serving sentences due to a crime. Some of the other men were former convicts already, so throwing them into the mix didn't help the society from falling into that system. Add in some werewolf hormones and you have a disaster.

He jumped up onto his bunk and let his sore muscles relax into the rough, yet comfortable mattress. He spotted Chad sitting silently in his corner, brooding over whatever went through his strange mind all day.

"Where were you?" Chad whispered so lowly Ichigo barely heard it, even with his heightened senses.

"Dungeon. Another asshole thought he could take me, so I beat him bloody." He said, theatrically shrugging his shoulders.

"Oh,"

Ichigo left it at that. Trying to speak to Chad was like talking to a wall. It was pointless, so he wasn't discouraged when the large man remained quiet after a total of three minutes.

Settling into the bed and into himself he closed his eyes and sighed silently. Spending time in that horrible room always left him with a tenseness in his muscles that stayed with him for days. His muscles always healed themselves though, and the throb of his aches would subside much quicker than he'd like, but he still liked to pretend he still ached. Because that was _normal._ A _normal_ person would be sore from sleeping on that cold, hard floor for at least a week, but he would only feel it for a day. But for the next few days he'd force a wince, feign a slight limp and seethe in an unnecessary breath when he climbed out of bed in the morning, trying to simulate a regular man. But he wasn't a regular man anymore. He was a monster, an abomination of God. And no matter what he did to try and imitate _normal_ people he'd still be this...thing.

He tried not to think about it too much. If he kept this kind of depressing thinking up he'd frown himself to death into a grave full of self-pity.

Growing up, Ichigo had always tried to look on the bright side. His father had taught him that if he ever was down that he should think of what he had and how much worse it could be. He always thought about the people who didn't have as much as he, and he'd realize his dark mood was really silly and pointless. Why should he be sad if someone out there had it worse than him? It could always be worse, he'd think, and everything would be better.

But this was different. When he thought of what he had now: Nothing came to mind. He had nothing, no friends, no family, no one, and nothing. He was utterly alone in this hell full of children of the moon. And he was one of them. A child of the moon; a moon he hadn't even seen in a year and a half now.

Nothing brought him out of this dark shell of his. There was nothing to look forward to. No way out. He was trapped, and he could feel the walls around him as if they were merely inches from his body. It felt as if he could place his hands on the stone cage surrounding him, keeping him inside and away from the outside world that he oh so craved to be a part of. There were no comforting thoughts to raise his spirit this time, and there may never be...

With this in mind: He fell asleep.

–

Days pass, and Ichigo didn't find the energy to truly care. Here, days don't matter because everyday is basically the same. He awoke, hung around his cell for awhile in silence, staring at the wall with negative thoughts until they were permitted to eat breakfast and lunch and then outside where he kept himself in shape. There would always be a fight, and he found it entertaining to watch the brutal beatings between men and women. It was sick, but that's all there is here. Sickness.

There were the days someone would be taken off for testing. Ichigo found those days fascinating, for most of the crowd was somber throughout the time the subject was gone. Hopes of actually finding a cure this time around was at a high when someone was taken away. More than half of the population of werewolves, including Ichigo himself, wanted to be free. To be released from this horrible place without any worries of wolfing out on their family and friends is the dream of just about everyone.

They never found a cure, and he feared they never will during his lifetime if at all. The person that was tested on would return rather unconscious or disoriented without any good news following. The somber mood lifts and more fights break out than usual. Sometimes Ichigo would be involved.

Today he noticed there were more vans driving into the facility. At least four have come up to the gates and were permitted in, which meant more captured werewolves were being brought in for testing and torture.

_Great, more assholes to fight with._

"Hey! Get away from there!" Ichigo turned and found two guards running towards him, batons held tightly in their hands.

He ignored them. He retains his right to stand wherever the hell he pleases, so as such he linked his fingers through the chain fence and stared into the void of freedom to make that point.

"You hear me?" The guards were now right behind him now, their alcohol-coated breath wafting around Ichigo and making him cringe. "I told you to back away from the fence!"

He ignored the throbbing of his ears. They were yelling right by his head, making it sound like, to his heightened senses, nails scratching against a chalkboard. He winced and glared at the loud guard with amber eyes.

"Could you be quiet? Your screaming makes my head hurt." He said menacingly. Even the guards could smell the fear and weakness if you allow it out, and you couldn't stand down to them no matter what. Even though it was them who always won.

"You son of a-" The guard who yelled pulled up his baton and ignited the electrical cord that ran from one end to another. He swung and smacked Ichigo against the joint of his leg. Hundreds of volts of electricity waded through his system, stunning him when it would have killed a normal man.

"Agh!" Ichigo fell down, clutching at his injured tenant as post-electrocution tremors wadded through his body. "Dammit! That hurts!" He cried.

"It's _suppose _to you freak!" The guard with the baton yelled, waving the device around in the air.

"You bastard..." He seethed, feeling the pain numb over enough for him to stand and fight. He could take just these two guards down, especially if he caused a riot, an easy task to do when part of the crowd.

In one swift motion, Ichigo was up and slammed his fist hard into the visor of the baton-wielding guard. The larger man went tumbling to the ground, gasping in shock at how strong the punch was. The subjects were fed only twice a day in barely moderate proportions, so their strength was cut in half at the lack of food. But that didn't matter, for a human-form werewolf was still as strong as three men, even without food or water.

"Get down!" The other guard, now holding his activated weapon, charged and tackled Ichigo against the fence to restrain him. The guard stabbed him with the baton and yet again volts of electricity ran through his veins painfully.

Then it happened. In a sudden, unexpected moment Ichigo's vision enhanced a hundred fold and his gut churned disgustingly. He grasped the guard's hand and yanked it away, dislodging the baton from the man's hand with a painful lurch.

Ichigo's eyes glared molten gold as he held tight the man's wrist with a growl. The guard struggled, trying to break his hand free from the boy's grip, but to no avail. He clenched harder, effectively breaking the bone with a sickening _crack!_

The man screamed and fell to his knees. A crowd began to form around the scene and cheered on the orange haired boy as he reared back and slammed the man across the temple, hard, knocking him out in a second.

Ichigo growled, the wolf lurking within him. He could hear it moving around inside of him; a tirade of grunts and snorts reverberating off the walls of his subconscious. It spoke to him, not in words, but with feelings and sensations. It wanted him to feed, to fulfill its lust for destruction.

The turmoil within his head distracted him, and he didn't budge when the SWAT came barreling out at him. They tackled him to the ground and held down his arms and legs as he began to flail about in anger. He couldn't control himself. The rage and carnal need to feed was too strong.

This was the closest to actually experiencing what it was like to be the wolf. When transformed during the Moon, you held no memory of what happened while Changed. No residual feelings or thoughts, just crawling skin and disorientation. But during this time, when the stress of the situation triggers a partial transformation you get a taste of what it was like to be a beast.

Ichigo howled out, and the last thing he saw was the butte of a gun driving right towards his face.

–

A flash of light, and a sudden jolt woke Ichigo from his not-so-humble rest. He jumped up from his bed and groaned as the blood rushed straight from his head. He rubbed his tired eyes, only to find one badly bruised. It stung. He hissed when his hand touched the tender skin of his left eye.

"Looks bad,"

He looked up and found Chad sulking in his usual corner, his brown hair covering his eyes from Ichigo's view.

"Yeah...bastards really got me." He mumbled, sitting up on his bunk. He liked to be on the top bunk, because he got a look at the whole room from up there. It wasn't much of a feat, for the cell was so small, but it was something he would take. "Surprised they didn't throw me back in the Dungeon." He said, throwing his feet over the edge.

"You're lucky," Chad said.

Ichigo nodded lightly, even though he knew his cellmate wouldn't see it in the darkness. "Guess so. I hate being in that horrid room." He said, looking down at his hands. There was a little blood on his knuckles, but other than that there was no other indication that he had punched a hole through a plated helmet and lashed out at at least twenty men at once. He scrunched up his nose at the lack of wounds and had to hold back grinding his teeth and clenching his fists in resentment. To distract himself, he looked back over at Chad and asked, "Where were you when I was being ambushed?" His words weren't meant to sound so angry, but it just came out like that.

The other man looked up at him, a deep frown on his face. "I didn't know it was you who was fighting." He said.

Ichigo snorted. "Of course..." He said, running a hand through his orange locks.

Chad shifted in his bed, as if uncomfortable. Ichigo rose a brow and followed the general direction the large man was looking at and found him staring down the bottom bunk.

"What are you looking-" Ichigo hopped down from his bunk to the cold ground to find a figure sitting within the darkness of the bottom bunk. His eyes widened in shock, for he hadn't expected to find anyone else within the cell. He didn't even smell the person, whom he could see to be female. "Uh..."

The woman scooted forward, her violet eyes staring daggers into his chest. She was petite, with a small stature and anti-generous assets. Her raven hair fell about her shoulders, framing her pale face and large, violet eyes. She wore the standard white garb, but with the sleeves longer than the norm, reaching just below her wrists.

She scowled at him with her arms crossed over her legs which came up under her chin. He could tell she was scared, for she was in a new place with dangerous looking people. _She must have been one of the new subjects being brought in earlier..._ Ichigo concluded. _The poor girl...doesn't even look 15._

"Who are you?" He spoke.

The girl stared at him, her eyes fierce with something Ichigo couldn't quite fathom. "Where are we?" She ignored his question. "That man won't answer me." She gave a pointed look at Chad.

He glanced over at his cell-mate, who just gave a light shrug of his broad shoulders. "You're at a Werewolf Rehabilitation Camp. Looks like you got caught, just like the rest of us."

The woman seemed to consider this before slinking back into the bed, much like Chad on his side of the cell. "Great..." She grumbled.

Ichigo snorted. "You didn't answer me before...who are you?"

The woman grunted. "Rukia Kuchiki." She said.

"Ichigo Kurosaki. And that over there is Chad."

"It's Yasutora Sado." The bear-man corrected.

"I call him Chad." Ichigo said, grinning lopsidedly at his friend. "Welcome to hell."

–

A few more days passed, and Ichigo found life to run on its usual monotonous rate. After the incident with the guards, he had found himself to be more popular in the crowd for at least a day or two. Many congratulated him on breaking the bones of at least three guards, and then went back to whatever game or exercise they participated in.

He walked out towards his usual spot and sat down by the fence. The muck was caught between his toes, but he didn't care. It had been raining the past week, which meant the subjects were forced to roam about in the mud. It was inhumane to let them be like this; to roll in the mud and bark out at each other like animals. That's what they were treated like: Animals. Because, in a sense, they were.

As if to prove his point a fight broke out by the bars. A group of men and women converged onto a single point and began a brawl that slowly expanded outwards into the crowd. Others were pulled in, and Ichigo watched disinterestedly as the guards came swarming in to break up the fight.

"Is it always like this...?" He turned to find his new cellmate, Rukia, sitting down next to him. He raised a brow in question.

"Yes. Almost every day. It gets especially wild during the week pre-transformation. Get ready to see some more of those blood-baths..." He said, sighing and looking back out into the forest that surrounded the compound. If he could only make it over the fence... "What are you doing here anyway?" He looked at her suspiciously. Rukia had been spending her days in total isolation, disappearing once they were set free of their cells. He hadn't seen her much the past few days.

She gave him a narrow look. "It's a free country, I can sit wherever I want." She said, pulling her legs up to her chin like she always did.

He figured it was a nervous habit of hers. The girl must have been terrified having seen the brutality of recess. "Well, go away and work out or something. Don't bother me." He said coldly. It truly made him feel guilty to be such a dick, but here you couldn't make any friends. Too many subjects die everyday from lack of nutrition, mishaps in the lab, and from beatings from the guards or from other subjects. Ichigo didn't think he could survive losing someone else.

Rukia huffed and glared at him. She stood and turned her nose up at him. "Fine, you ass. Be like that." She said and stormed off to do whatever. He didn't care, just as long as she was away from him. She smelled so clean compared to the others that it made him nostalgic for the sweet smells of his sister's cooking. Being nostalgic meant weakness here.

And Ichigo couldn't afford to be weak.

–

The full moon was coming soon. Ichigo could feel it within the marrow of his bones. The facility didn't allow for the subjects to be reminded what day it was, which made it hard to keep a grasp on reality. You couldn't tell how long it had been since you did this, or that, or when you had even arrived here. You just knew that this is where you'll meet your end.

The days prior to a Change was indistinguishable to every subject. They felt a tingle over their skin, as if spiders crawled over the pale, callous flesh. Their sense of smell and sight was naturally increased to the point of noticing, and they all felt a wild sense of anger rising within them at the most random of times. These mood swings had caused the death of many a subject, guard, and even scientist.

The more these signs appeared, the closer to the Change they were. It was maddening not to know when the full moon was to rise. Ichigo hated that every night he'd wait for the guards to call out the prisoners and locked each and every one up in a cage for the night.

Tonight was no different. As he sat in his bunk, staring anxiously at the panned-glass door that held even the most powerful werewolf inside, he awaited for the sound of guards yelling and of subjects groaning in protest. It always chilled him to the core when it actually happened, because the anticipation for the change was the most dreadful thing he had ever felt.

After the transformation itself.

He figured tonight must not be the night, for it had been far too long since recess. Recess was at 3 PM sharp, and ended at 5 PM, leaving three hours before the transformation to start. It had been much longer than three hours since the subjects were thrown back into the cells to rot.

At least he thought it has.

With this in mind; Ichigo decided to finally relax and catch some sleep before being awoken by the loud buzzing that rang through the entire facility that signaled breakfast. They used prison rules, as the place was previously as such he figured, and took inventory over who remained and who deserted. No one ever tried to leave, because it was instant death. That was the one difference between jail and this camp; if you tried to run away you died. There wasn't any search parties that would hunt you down and bring you back. The hunts were literal, and ended in you getting a bullet between the eyes.

He had seen someone try once. It was during his first few months in this place, and he himself had been thinking over such an attempt himself. It was one of those days where the fights seemed to spill out in every direction, and the guards were all distracted. Ichigo had watched the man run to the fence and climb as fast as he could. He had a large build and a strong upper-body, which made him think the man had been preparing for this. The man had made it to the top then over, ignoring the cutting and slashing of the barbed-wire, and descended down by dropping. His legs took the blunt of the blow, but he managed to stumble to his feet and make it a good three feet before a loud _pop _rang out and everyone got silent. Ichigo had wondered what the noise was, and it wasn't until the man fell over dead did he realize it was a gunshot.

Pulling the stale blanket over his body, he sighed and closed his eyes. Seconds passed in silence, and he found himself about to sink into the not-so-bliss of a werewolf's sleep.

It was very faint, but he heard it. A sob came up from within the room and startled Ichigo out of his sleep. He sat up and listened, straining his ears to hear the sound again to make sure it wasn't just his imagination.

_There it is again!_ The sound was starting to become more frequent. Soft sobs echoed against the murky walls of the cell. He hopped off his bunk and peered into the darkness of the bottom bunk, where he found the crying Rukia curled up into a ball.

"What the..." He shook his head. "Are you alright?" He whispered, leaning in closer to get a look. A fist came flying out, crashing into his chin painfully, sending him back a foot with a throbbing jawline. "Bitch!" He hissed, keeping his voice down.

"Get away!" She growled through a raspy throat, the tears flowing down her chin. "Leave me alone you ass!"

He rubbed his jaw and glared. "Excuse me for seeing what was wrong." He grumbled and climbed back up onto his bunk, frustrated. The one time he actually gives a damn and he gets punished for it!

The sobs continued, and it grated against his ear-drums like nails on a chalkboard. The sound was heartbreaking, for it was the ultimate portrayal of sorrow. Ichigo understood it more so than anyone could imagine. He had spent countless nights crying his eyes out at the injustice of the world. It wasn't until the third time he got into a fight because of it did he force himself to stop.

Rukia was a young girl, who too was dealt a nasty hand in life. He couldn't really hold a grudge against someone who was shamed with the same thing as he, and a hundred other people.

She hiccuped, and wiped away the hot tears that trailed down her pale cheeks. She clung tightly to the thin, dirty sheets of her uncomfortable bed in hopes of solace, only to be disappointed. She nearly jumped out of her skin when Ichigo again hopped down from his bunk, the weak metal groaning from the release of pressure above her.

"G-go away!" She said weakly as the orange haired man sat down onto her bunk and glared at her. She was going to ball up her fist and send him away again, but he swung his arm around her and pulled her close into his chest comfortingly. "What...?" She looked up at him with glistening eyes.

"Just shut up and cry. This is a one time thing, and if you don't take it then you're screwed because you will get killed crying. So let it out now while you still can." He whispered, looking away flustered.

Rukia stared at him with wide eyes, shocked. "Why...why are you doing this...?" She asked, her throat clogged from the tears. Her tough-act had subsided, and he was seeing her for what she truly was: Scared.

Ichigo made a face, and stared out the glass that separated the three cellmates from the hundred other werewolves. What could he say? That he hated the sound of her crying? That he hated the sound of crying in general? No, that made him seem _weak._

"Because," was all he said, dismissing her.

She seemed to accept that and leaned into his embrace, her sobs now muffled by the dirt-coated shirt he wore. He was silent, keeping to his promise to let her cry. But one question plagued him.

"Why are you crying?" He knew that the answer was obvious. She could be sad because she had been captured. Maybe she felt that she was wrongly brought in. Or she could just miss her family. It was stupid of him to wonder why she was crying, but for some reason he wanted to hear her say it.

She seemed taken aback by his question, for she paused in her crying to ponder this. "I'm weak...I am so afraid of this place. I tried for so long not to be captured, and yet they catch me and force me here. I will never see anyone ever again, all because of a stupid scratch!" She sobbed and buried her face into the crook of his arm.

He patted her back and let her spill it out. There wasn't anything for him to say, for he understood her pain. No words could describe it, and nothing could be said to ease the turmoil that develops in your heart. All he could do was hold her and let her release it all out.

"I'm sorry," was the only thing he could really manage. It wasn't a powerful thing to say to stop her tears and make everything right, but he said it anyway for the sake of saying something. No one deserved this hell, especially not this poor, fragile girl.

"And..." She looked up at him, biting her lip. Debating over something. "Earlier...I-I was afraid that I'd be alone here. So...I tried to make friends..." She trailed off and sniffed, swiping at her blood-shot eyes.

The incident at recess earlier that day came back to Ichigo, and he felt a wave of guilt rise up to his throat. Had he really hurt her that much? He didn't mean to, he just couldn't afford to be soft towards someone only to lose them.

"Oh..." He tried to think of something to say, but came up empty.

"You don't have to apologize," She cut him off before he could speak. "I should have figured this wasn't a friendly place. The articles I read about this place hadn't mentioned any of the brutality I've seen here. I thought...it'd be more of a understanding place...since we're all the same..." A few wave of tears fell, and his heart sank.

"This isn't the place to be making friends, Rukia." He said softly. "This isn't high school where there will be a clique where you can fit into. Here...we all are alone. You don't really make friends, you make enemies. You can't be so nice here, which is why I did what I did. You can't show weakness, or you'll be killed."

"I know that now..." She rubbed her arms where there was a fresh bruise growing.

Ichigo's eyes widened. "Who did that?" He asked forcefully.

Rukia's eyes wandered the room, everywhere but him. "It doesn't matter..." She whispered sheepishly.

He tightened his hold over her and forced her to look him in the eye. He didn't understand why he wanted to know so badly, he just did. And he damn well will get an answer. "_Who. Did. That?_"

She flinched, and he loosened his grip to show he wasn't going to hurt her. "Some...some guy with blue hair..."

_Grimmjow..._ He recognized instantly. _One of those former bikers that got caught up by a wolf in Las Noches..._

Ichigo held onto Rukia as she finished and fell asleep. He heard her sobs slowly turn into snores, and laid her down gently onto the mattress and covered her up. This was something he use to do with his sisters, and it should have brought back memories of those days and sting deeply into his already bruised heart.

But...

All he could picture was Grimmjow's face when he bashed it into the ground tomorrow.

–

Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez was part of an intricate motorcycle club that smuggles drugs and weapons into the country through various contracts and sources. A biker gang essentially. The leader of the infamous group- the _Espada_- was Aizen Sousuke, with his lieutenant Gin Ichimaru. The gang was diminished now, as the founding fathers- Aizen, Gin, and Kaname Tousen- were now werewolves stuck in this facility along with some other members who were unlucky enough to tag along to a drug deal which ended in bloodshed. Had they not planned to meet on a full moon, then maybe it would have worked out for them.

Now, the group huddles together at recess and glares outwards at everyone who comes by. Their former glory was just that-_former._ No one truly feared them anymore, as everyone was on the same level. A werewolf was a werewolf, no matter what you were before becoming one. Though Ichigo doubted anyone was dumb enough to actually try fighting any of them.

Well, other than himself of course.

As soon as he was released to recess he stepped up to the group and scowled hard in the direction of the blue haired biker. Grimmjow caught his eye, and returned the scowl with as much fever.

"What are you staring at, strawberry?" Grimmjow growled once Ichigo was in ear-shot. The group of thirteen men and women turned towards him and regarded him with scrutinizing eyes, all sizing him up.

This didn't intimidate him. He wasn't one to cower just because he was outnumbered; more than once he had taken down packs of men without breaking a sweat. So when they all growled and glared- he stood his ground.

"I'm looking at you, _pussy_." Ichigo knew this hit home, for Grimmjow stood and balled his fists with a snarl.

"What was that, _boy_?" Grimmjow was in his face now, standing an inch taller with his teeth barred.

"Ichigo!" He turned and noticed Rukia running through the crowd towards him. She must have figured what he was doing, for her expression was panicked. She ran up behind him and gripped his arm hard. "What are you doing you asshole!"

"Just back up, Rukia. I'll handle this." He instructed, pushing her back as he met the blue haired biker's eye again.

"You hear that?" A dark skinned man with black hair in a pony-tail called with a boisterous smirk. He recognized him as Yammy. "He's gonna handle this!"

The group gave a collected laugh, and the fire within Ichigo churned. He was getting angry, and he couldn't be stopped once he saw red.

"Ichigo, just come on! Leave it be!" Rukia tugged at his arm forcefully. He was surprised by how strong she really was, for he actually stumbled a bit when she pulled him back.

"I'd listen to your _bitch_ Ichigo, or else you'll end up dead." Grimmjow was snickering at him. That was the last straw.

With flaring yellow eyes Ichigo lunged forward and drove a hard fist into Grimmjow's throat, aiming to smash the man's wind-pipe. He went flying backwards into his gang, who all jumped and dove at Ichigo as one.

Before he knew it he was entangled in a mesh of fist, kicks, growls and curses. Ichigo swung his limbs around in an attempt to take down whoever was in his way, but they held numbers over his power. His arms and legs were pinned in no time flat, and his stomach was pelted by fists rapidly. He coughed, struggled, and was smacked in the face in reward.

"Ichigo!" Rukia punched the man holding his left arm, knocking him back with surprise force. With his arm free, he smacked free his other arm and was on his feet in one fowl swoop.

The brawl continued for at least three minutes, the orange haired man holding his own with hard hits and fierce kicks. His nose broke, his lip and brow began to bleed, and he swore he heard a bone snap in one of his arms, but none of it stopped him. Adrenaline and rage were driving him, as they always did, to finish this fight.

Shining yellow eyes glared at him as he heard the guards come flying out with their electric batons and black armor. Ichigo turned to the rushing men and snarled, the wolf coming out in all its glory from the inside-out to wreck havoc on anything and everything it could.

"Break it up!" The guards came swarming in, their electric prods at ready, and began to stab at everyone involved, including Ichigo.

He jerked back as he was stung on the arm and growled. He moved to punch the guard jabbing at him, but the prod's length beat out his arms' and he was shocked again in the chest. A heart beat was skipped, and he lost his breath.

_The voltage is higher than normal..._ He noticed as he backed up. He could see the others trying to fight back, but already three were down and out, leaving them weakened and losing. Ichigo looked over to where Rukia was and found her out of sight, probably having run away once the guards came.

_Good,_ He thought. He didn't want her to get in trouble, this wasn't her fault. It was his own.

"You little bastard!" The guard barked and stabbed at him again, finally taking down the orange haired werewolf. He fell to the ground and convulsed on himself, the energy running through his system and jolting his joints painfully.

–

The guards charged-down their weapons and began to collect the men and women in the dirt. Rukia watched on in horror as Ichigo was forced onto his feet unsteadily and hefted inside the building alongside the biker gang.

"Where are they taking them?" She asked aloud, her eyes wide with shock. She hadn't expected for her cell-mate to actually stand up for her and fight the man who had hit her the day before.

_Why would he do that? Just yesterday he was telling me to leave him alone..._

"To the Dungeon." Chad was next to her, watching the entire scene along with all the other subjects in the yard.

"What's that?" She asked.

"When one of us is bad, we get thrown in solitary confinement as punishment." The bear-man, as Rukia liked to refer to him as, said quietly. If it wasn't for her heightened sense of hearing she'd have not have heard him.

"You idiot..." She whispered to herself dryly. "And of all nights..."

–

Ichigo was tossed into the Dungeon in the same manner as always. He was stripped along the corridor and thrown in forcefully onto the cold, hard ground; the jeering and laughing of the guards echoing off the walls as they stood over him with their taunting smiles. They were in control, and he hated it more than anything on this planet.

"You really fucked up this time Kurosaki." One said, laughing.

"Yup," another said. "You're the lucky winner of a little experiment we thought we'd try out in honor of the coats upstairs."

"What...?" Ichigo spat, glaring hard at the men as he held his decency.

"See, we were wondering what would happen if one of you _freaks_ Changed in here. Like, what would be the effect on you and such- scientific crap. So we were thinking about who to throw in here and guess who ends up getting in trouble? And on the night of the full moon to boot!"

His eyes widened. "What? Tonight? You're going to keep me locked up in here for the Change?" He wailed, fear rising into his chest. Why would they do this to him? He knew they were demented, but to this level?

"Damn right we are!" They all laughed and slammed the door in his face just as he made a mad-dash towards it. He slammed his fists against the bolted metal door and cried out in panic.

"Please! No! You can't do this to me! It's inhumane!" He pleaded with them. He didn't know what he would do locked up in here during the change. What if he battered himself to death? What if he escaped and killed them all?

"That would be true," The guard said through the food-slot. "If you were actually human!" and they laughed again, spitting in his face and leaving him to rot in the cell.

–

Ichigo slammed fist after fist against the metal door, screaming out for someone to free him immediately. It was the guards who were doing this, not the scientists. And if he could warn even one obedient guard or even a scientist running some check-up or something that he was locked inside he'd be saved.

It was mandatory that all subjects, including ones undergoing punishment in the Dungeon, were present in the chamber downstairs for the Change. No one was to Change anywhere else.

There had once been some tests on the full formed wolf, he heard. Some subjects talked rumors of scientists having werewolves Change in selected areas for tests. But he had never noticed anyone missing. Though, he didn't know everyone, so it was possible this was happening and he didn't know of it.

He had once seen a video of the Change on one of the monitors in the labs. They were watching someone's transformation- if it was his own, he didn't know- and he peeked on in with his clearer sight and extra hearing.

He was only able to catch the vestiges of the Change- the ending. The snout came out, and the sounds that escaped the throat of the beast were ghastly. The sound of a true monster in Ichigo's opinion. At first there remained a semblance of the person's voice, retained from the body in which the beast lay dormant until this retched night, but it soon faded away and all that was left was the beast.

He had watched as the thing stood on the video and growled. It hadn't been in one of the cages all of them were usually locked up in during these nights. It was locked into one of the testing rooms with extra padding and a bolt lock on the door that could only be opened from the outside. The werewolf was about seven feet tall, with black shaggy hair and piercing yellow eyes that shone with hunger and rage. He remembers watching it scuttle about in confusion, watching as it tried to figure out where it was before it released a terrible screech and went on a total rampage. It ripped the room apart, its claws slashing through the padding like it was nothing. Its hooked feet tore up the floor, leaving long gashes in their wake. It roared with such intensity, making chills run down his spine.

_Is that really what I turn into? _He had wondered at the time, aghast by the sight. The beast had torn that room to shreds with its rage, releasing a tirade of sounds that gave him nightmares for weeks.

The one thing he hated most about the whole thing, is the blacking out. In the mornings after, no one would have memory of what had happened while Changed. It was a dreamless sleep, with nothing more to cling to other than a faint sense of dread. It was maddening, nerve-wracking and downright sickening.

Ichigo reminisced over the memory of that video, and felt a wave of bile rise into his throat. Whether it be from the oncoming Change or from the memory: He didn't know.

But he figured there couldn't be anywhere else they'd let them Change. The officials didn't want an escape attempt by one of the wolves. Surveillance wasn't enough to keep a werewolf inside the compound. So they had to be locked up in small cages inside a chamber under the facility. The cages were made of pure titanium steel, with a series of locks that even the smartest werewolf couldn't figure out. A normal human could escape with persistence, intelligence and vigor, but they counted on the incompetence of a wolf to keep them caged.

He didn't know what would happen if the wolf was loose in this room, because it had never happened before. This room was meant for punishment of the subjects, not for the containment of a fully enraged beast. The door was thick with metal and had a very similar locking system as the cages downstairs, but he wasn't so sure on the durability of the hinges that kept this door connected to the wall. He may not be able to break through it, but it was possible for the door to be rattled so hard it just fell forward, and then it would be loose in the building. And no one would be ready for that.

He looked around the room in a panic. It was small and closed in, barely a droplet of light coming through the tiny cracks above and under the door, with the lingering scent of defecation and urine roaming about in the air like swamp gas. It was cramp, cold, and alone. The perfect place for the wolf to go absolutely ballistic. The wolf would cower in the space, roar out into the dark, and lose its mind. That was a bad thing. The wolf gained strength from its rage and inability to rationally think over its predicament. In a small room like this: The wolf would go beyond its own limits and go insane.

He felt fear strike at the very core of his being and he yelled even louder, praying that someone would come rescue him, that this had just been a joke the guards were playing on him to freak him out. What if tonight wasn't even the full moon? Or what if they were just snickering at him outside the door and would take him to his cage before the Change? What if-

The Change was upon Ichigo before he knew it. It was a throbbing pain that ran up his side and directly into his head. There was a crunching sound as bone and muscle and sinew began to rip and tear, pull apart and press together again rapidly. His legs gave out under him and he fell on his side, his mind reeling from the sudden explosion of white hot pain running through his entire body. He howled out, clambering up to his feet to try and regain balance. Another snap, and he was on his hands and knees in seconds, screaming in pure agony as the pain erupted into every cell of his being. It wasn't until long after did he even realize he fell to his hands and knees.

His heart pounded loud in his ears, and then just stopped. As if a button was pressed and everything within his body shut down whilst this torment continued. He felt hollow from within, and it drove him mad.

He writhed in agony on the floor, twitching and tossing and turning and trembling. He felt his skin pop as bone and muscle pressed outwards, taking on new shapes not right for a human body. The sound was almost like that of cracking an egg repeatedly. It echoed off the walls and back into his ears. He gurgled, saliva dripping from his mouth as he felt the insides of his gums go numb. He spat out the wetness and closed his eyes tightly as a pain so hot exploded up his spine. He felt his skin stretch yet again.

Gums ripped apart, blood spurting from his mouth onto the floor, and out came the teeth; the rows of fangs sharper than any blade. He had been through this transformation so many times that he could nearly list off what was to come. First the teeth, then came the claws.

As if on cue, he lifted his hand and watched as black, jagged hooks came sprouting forth through a crust of blood from his finger-tips. He watched as movement crawled up his knuckles, expanding his skin just enough for his hand to quiver, and black nubs sprouted from his finger-tips and lengthened out into hooked claws. He spun around his hand, as if to shake away the deadly weapons, and noticed how raw his skin was becoming.

This meant the third stage was upon him. Hair follicles began to form and out came the brown, shaggy hair of the beast. It came out in black patches along his arms and torso and legs. It itched, and he had to resist scratching them with his now dagger-like hands.

His legs had a spasm of their own. His joints snapped and twisted, changing to allow him a quadrupedal form if he so chose. His feet elongated, the heels rising into the air as his toes snapped each at a time and miniature claws came forth from the digits. He felt his body being lifted on its own accord, his legs and arms extending as new muscle bulged along his biceps and thighs. His throat clogged, and for a moment no sound could be made from the tortured man laying on the floor.

His body was racked by terrible shivers. He almost lost his balance and fell face first into the drool and blood pool forming under him. The body-quakes made it all just the more unbearable. His ripping muscles joggled back and forth inside of him, the pain intensifying; as if some invisible force wanted him to suffer that extra bit.

His forehead and jaw pushed forward, the sounds of his skull breaking and taking on the shape of a snout loud in his ears. His cheeks swelled and hair grew over the ridges that began to form from the pointed edges of his broken skull. He felt hot tears run down his new muzzle and drip down into the pool of spittle that lay bright in his vision below.

He could never get use to this...this complete hell. No matter how many times it happened, no matter how well he could cue what would happen next, he would always scream and cry out in pain...

This night was no different. The metamorphosis was soul-shattering; the recession from logical sense to primal instinct was slow and drove him to near insanity all in only a few minutes; and the darkness befell his psyche like a blanket over a bed. He was trapped under a sea of total shroud, and there was no way out until the beast said so.

But there was something off...in the sea he saw ripples. Of consciousness and self-awareness. He stared into the ripples for a moment, feeling himself fade. There, within the waving lines of his mind was a face...

Rukia's face.

–

Ichigo woke to the sound of banging. He groaned and turned over, the cold ground scratching at his skin painfully. He twitched and cracked open his eyes as the bolt door opened wide, letting in the incredibly bright sunlight that stung his bleary eyes. He shielded his eyes from the beam of light and leaned on his elbows to look up at the tall man standing above him.

"How are you feeling, Kurosaki-san?" The man above him asked in a tone of voice that sparked a memory within him. He recognized the man as one of the scientists who tested on him and the other werewolves from time to time.

"I'm..." He more so coughed than said. He was sore all over and freezing cold. He was disoriented, and was in need of food and water immediately. "...shitty."

"To be expected," The man said, writing something down on a clipboard. "We weren't expecting this kind of experiment to be taken, and we apologize for the guard's cruelty. They will be punished accordingly and won't be bothering you ever again." said the scientist as he smiled down at Ichigo. He couldn't quite see the man's face, but the scent was familiar. He racked his brain for the man's name and face, but came up blank. It was too early in the morning for him to think.

"Ahhh..." was all he could manage. What time was it? What _day_ was it?

"The usual disorientation after a transformation. Seems this unexpected experiment was a failure, though that was to be expected." The man wrote some more and turned. "You shall remain in here, as per your punishment, but as recreation the time has been cut to half. So you will be released the day after tomorrow. Good day Kurosaki-san."

The door shut and Ichigo was left with his disorganized thoughts. He moaned and pushed himself up and back against the wall, ignoring the cold sting against his skin. He inhaled deeply and exhaled, relishing in the clarity it brought to his restless mind.

Taking a look at the murky walls around him he saw long, jagged scars across the skin of the room. Chunks of stone lay scattered about him in sporadic repetition, and his bathroom-bucket was obliterated. The door specifically was attacked, with scars and grooves along its padding, the area of the knob being the most ravished.

_It can recognize the concept of a door..._ He thought, trying to replay the events of the night before. He drew a blank, and sighed again as he closed his eyes and sprawled out on the floor, not caring of his exposed sex to the harsh weather of the Dungeon.

Trailing back with his mind's eye, he found nothing but complete darkness and solitude. _Just like every other transformation._ But he could feel something stirring inside the dusk of his mind, something left over from the beast. It wasn't a memory, or even a coherent thought; but an impression. An emotion that lashed out and lingered within his psyche, begging to be captured and examined. But he couldn't quite get it, and gave a frustrated growl because of this.

"What are you trying to tell me you son of a bitch?" He ground out as he crouched in the corner and released himself on the wall, scrunching up his nose at the putrid smell it washed the room with.

–

Ichigo was released two days later, as promised. The guards who came and let him out and handed him a fresh pair of clothing were not the same men who had thrown him in the Dungeon, and in fact seemed more nervous about being around him.

_New recruits,_ He figured. Sometimes there'd be new guards, and they would be so scared that he could smell it from across the field during recess. It caused some riots, for the smell of fear set off most of the bigger subjects. He prayed these men actually lasted the week.

Ichigo was led back to his cell by the new guards, passing by the hundreds of other subjects who hooted and hollered at him. Apparently he had made a name for himself by attacking the _Visored_. The orange haired freak had taken on, and had held his own against one of the most ferocious groups in the camp. That got him some good rep.

Rep that wouldn't last.

Entering his cell he found Chad in his usual spot and Rukia still asleep in her bunk. The door hissed open and she awoke at the sound. He entered the cell and watched the door close shut and the guards walk off, the sound of yelling following behind them.

"Ichigo!" Rukia jumped from her bed.

"Yo," He said dully, waving.

"You idiot!" She balled her fist and slammed it directly into his chin, glaring. He fell back and hit the pan-door, falling on his behind.

"Geez you crazy midget! What was that for?" He yelled, standing and holding his bruised chin.

"You're an asshole, that's what!" She bellowed. "What was that the other day? You nearly got killed!"

Ichigo scowled. "I was fighting them for you, you bitch!"

"I didn't ask you to!"

"Well I did!"

"And I'm saying you didn't have to you moron!"

"Quit calling me a moron you freaking bitch!"

"Strawberry!"

"Midget!

The two glared at each other heatedly.

"Could you please keep it down?" Chad whispered from the corner, watching through his brown locks.

"Sorry," They said in unison, sending withering stares in each others direction.

"I'm tired." Ichigo grumbled as he pushed past Rukia and climbed up into his bed and under his blanket, relishing in the comfort of a bed instead of the hard floor of the Dungeon.

Sighing in content, he rolled over and closed his eyes. It was still early, and he had a few hours before they would be released to recess. He decided to use that time to rest.

Moments passed by, and an eerie feeling crept up his spine. He turned over and found the raven haired woman staring at him intently. He frowned and narrowed his eyes. "What?"

"Why did you do it?" She said, her stare not wavering in the slightest.

He raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

"The other day, why did you fight them like that?"

Ichigo stared at her for a second, contemplating his answer. In truth: he didn't know. He just did. After finding out they had hurt his new cellmate he had just gotten angry. Angry enough to walk up to that white haired bastard and punch his nose into his skull.

But why had he been so angry?

"I don't know..." He grumbled in response. "I guess I just don't like that kind of shit. You're new, and they already attacked you. So I got them back." He said, scratching his head in thought.

"Oh," She said, considering this. She seemed to avert her attention, so Ichigo turned back over and closed his eyes to sleep.

"Thank you," His eyes shot back open as Rukia leaned over and planted a soft kiss to his temple, having to jump up onto the bunk to reach him. He turned over just as she slunk back into her bunk to hide in embarrassment.

Rolling back over, Ichigo did something he hadn't done in what seemed like forever.

He smiled.


	3. Part 2

**Part 2!**

**-Edited-**

* * *

Over the course of the next few weeks, Ichigo and Rukia became close. It wasn't a steady friendship, but they were content with what they had none the less. They'd sit and talk for hours on end, learning bits and pieces of each other and sharing experiences and thoughts on life. He learned she had wanted to become a psychologist before she was bitten, and was damn near close to it.

Rukia had been an eighteen-year-old college student when she was bitten. To Ichigo's amazement that had been _two years_ ago, making her twenty now- a whole year _older_ than him. The night she was bite she had been late for one of her semester tests. Most of her classes had been at nighttime, so she got lost easily on her walk to her school. Upon taking a short-cut through the woods she ran into a large beast that chased her down seven miles away from civilization. She survived by jumping into a lake and holding her breath until the beast lost her scent and went loping off in another direction. She escaped, but not unscathed.

Along her stomach were the scars. It had been the initial strike that hit and changed her life forever.

Ichigo told his story as well, and they relished in each others comforting company. For the first time in a year he had a friend, the closest thing to one at least, and he was happy.

Today they were sitting in silence, the setting sun beaming down upon them, staring out into the woods longingly as they waited for the guards to call them back in for the night. Rukia was still adjusting to the new life-style, and he could see in her eyes the unending sadness that crept up on her every time they weren't talking.

_She misses her family._ He thought. He had learned that after being bitten her sister and brother-in-law had protected her. They crafted a cellar down in the basement and locked her up each month with music blaring so no one got suspicious.

The night she was captured was hectic, from what she remembered. She explained that her brother-in-law was out on a business trip during the full moon, and it was up to her sick sister, Hisana, to lock her up and release her in the morning. Unfortunately, Hisana was too ill to lock her sister up and ended up passing out before Rukia was locked into the cellar.

The last thing she remembers is panicking at the sight of her sister laying on the floor unconscious while the change started. The next morning was full of policemen, men in white coats and hundreds of people staring on in awe as she was hauled into a truck and driven here.

Ichigo was sympathetic, and apologized for her tragedies. He had to hand it to her, for he was captured the morning after being bitten and didn't have to live in fear for two years of being taken away like she did. He wasn't given a chance, and in honesty that was for the best. But Rukia had a chance, and failed. Something that would haunt her forever.

Their attention shifted from the idle trees to a fight that was breaking out by the exercise equipment. "Is this _really_ the only entertainment we get?" She asked, frustration on her face.

"Just about," Ichigo replied, watching as blood flew through the air as a hard punch landed. He squinted his eyes, trying to see who it was who was fighting. "Holy crap that's Chad!"

"Really?" Her eyes widened as she stood and looked on closer at the fight to see Chad's large figure fending off three guys at once. "Wow! He's actually fighting!" She nearly gasped.

"Those guys must be trying to prove themselves. He'd never start a fight. He's just protecting himself." He noted, watching in amazement as the bear-man swung a back fist and knocked back all three guys on their sides, along with another who was unfortunate enough to be in range.

"They didn't hype this place up on TV...it's a nightmare here and they made it seem like heaven." She said, tucking her knees under her chin as she sat back down. "But my brother knew this place was bad. Told me that I'll never come here no matter what because he _knew_ this place wasn't as it seemed on TV. Didn't come close to how terrible this is."

He couldn't help but agree. "He was right to expect that." He said.

"What about your family?" She asked, catching him off guard. "What did they think of this place?"

"Uh..." He had to think about this. They didn't have much of an opinion really; not ones they expressed at least. "I guess none of us cared. It's one of those things where you don't think it'll happen to you, until it does."

Ichigo remembers when he and his family first learned of the outbreak. He had been twelve, and his sisters were only just learning to talk. The family was still reeling from his mother's tragic cancer-related death when they all gathered together and watched the multiple news reports that explained of hairy beasts running amok. It was shocking, but his father had felt they were all too young to express his opinions to on the matter, his sisters didn't fully understand until a few years later; by then the hype had died down; and he just thought it had been a hoax- a way of catching the eye of the viewer.

After the word had spread everyone got paranoid at first. It started with whispers about strange neighbors or too quiet a kid in class. It escalated to scared men and women and children all accusing others of being a werewolf. There were calls to the police almost every night about people who sneezed wrong being a werewolf. All of this fed his hoax theory.

Up until the night he was infected he thought it was a joke. His father never said anything about it, and only once had it been brought up by his sisters.

"_Did you hear about that boy in class?" _The voice of his sister Yuzu echoed. _"He was taken away because he's a werewolf!"_

"_So what? I didn't know him."_ His other sister, Karin, had replied. And it was over with.

"I know what you mean..." Rukia said, watching the fight die away as the guards came in and broke it up. It took nearly every prod to take down Chad.

"Yup. My old man was a freak, but he kept some things to himself I guess." He said, wishing his friend luck in his first time in the Dungeon. _He just never does anything, poor guy doesn't know what to expect. Should have told him more about it during one of our "talks". _

Rukia just hummed her reply, silence taking reign yet again. They watched the crowd disperse and continue on with their activities, as if a brawl hadn't just occurred. It was so natural an occurrence that no one really talked about it afterwords unless something _big_ happened.

Like Ichigo taking on the entire _Espada_ by himself, but that too died away quickly. After a few days everyone forgot about it and it was done with.

Grimmjow and the gang glared at him a lot now, though.

"What do you miss most about the outside?" She asked suddenly, turning back to stared out into the woods.

Ichigo followed suit. "I miss my family."

"That's an obvious answer," She frowned at him. "What do you _miss_?"

He thought for a moment, thinking back to his life before this. "Well...I miss my friends, I guess. I hated it at the time, but I miss school. I'd take that place any day over this."

"That it?" She rose a brow at him.

He shrugged. "Karate was the only thing I did outside the house other than school, and I stopped that after I turned ten." He said.

"Did...did you have a girlfriend?"

He turned to her. "What?"

Rukia looked away and concentrated on a tree. "Did you have a girlfriend before being infected?"

Ichigo gave a quizzical look. "Why does that matter?" He asked.

She seemed to almost shrink away at the question, as if it scared her. "Just wondering...what your old life was like. I'd like to know..."

"Why do you want to know?"

She again looked away, seemingly embarrassed. "I've heard stories of people losing their grips on reality after some time in a place like this. I want to keep a hold on what the outside world is like so I don't lose it like those people..." She trailed off, a sad look in her eyes. It almost spoke to him on a different level than what it should have.

"You shouldn't think like that." He said, not meeting her look of mild surprise at his reprisal. "Trying to think of the outside world will only make you realize more and more how it's gone forever now. It'll bring you down more than you already are." He said, and he could tell that hit her hard, for her eyes drooped and her shoulders sagged. "I'm sorry, but it's the truth. I've been here long enough to know that fantasies like that just weigh heavy on your chest, and make living each day just that much harder." He spoke the truth. He had nearly gone mad those first few months, crying and wishing for his old life back. And the more he thought of it, the more he wanted it. Even now, he felt a sense of dread in his chest as he spoke of his former life to this girl.

She didn't respond, just sat there staring at her twiddling toes. He could tell he had hurt her feelings, and that hadn't been his intention. Frowning deeply, and looking off into the forest, he thought for a moment before speaking up again: "Her name was Orihime."

Rukia glanced up at him silently. "Whose was?"

"My girlfriend's. Her name was Orihime Inoue. She had been my girlfriend for half a year when I was infected." He said, thinking of the auburn haired, gray eyed girl who had paraded around on his arm throughout the last weeks of high school.

"Ah," Rukia said, looking thoughtful. "Do you miss her at all?"

How could he? He hadn't thought of her once since coming here. "Not really. It hadn't been that serious. Kissed maybe twice and held hands a lot. She wasn't even at that party..." He thought of the night he was infected. The celebration party his friend threw for graduation. Orihime had flown out to Tokyo to visit her father for the summer before starting her new intern job at some low-brow company in Tanzaku. He hadn't cared, and still didn't.

She seemed to slink back into herself now, as if that wasn't the answer she had really been looking for. He didn't know what she was expecting. Did she think he'd proclaim his ever-lasting love to Orihime Inoue? Begin a long, drawn out speech about how much he missed her and her overly large breasts?

"What about you?" He inquired, halting the oncoming silence.

"What?"

_Not so quick when you're the one on the spot huh? _"Don't act stupid," He grinned at her. "Did. You. Have. A. Boyfriend?"

She flustered and curled up slightly. "Well... no. Guys found me too intimidating because of my size and strength. Freaked them out I guess."

Ichigo watched as her eyes grew sad yet again, and felt something stir within. "Sorry I suppose," He whispered, unsure of what to really say to that.

"Don't," She scowled and glared at a tree. "Idiots, the lot of 'em."

He snorted. "Yeah, apparently so." He said.

A loud siren rang off, signaling the end of recess. The crowd all parted from whatever they were doing and began to pile back into the facility, Ichigo and Rukia following suit as the guards came out with their electric batons and armor.

–

Blood was pulsing inside his veins rapidly. He could feel the cool sensation running through his arms as his heart rushed the blood through him. His head throbbed, each pound stronger than the last. He tried to calm his nerves with a breath, but it did nothing to ease the tension that was building in his shoulders. The noises of the world around him were drowned out by the rush of his breath. He felt his hands shake as stared down at the plate of food in front of him.

He picked up the raw steak and revolted the slim that dripped onto his hand and slithered down his arm to his elbow. Well, he _tried_ to be revolted, but his mind was too preoccupied with staying calm and not losing his cool in the middle of the lunchroom.

This was a sign that the transformation was coming soon. It started with a sense of restlessness, and then hunger. His stomach growled, and he knew that the Change would be coming any day now. The raw hunk of meat was something he dreaded eating, for eating and enjoying it meant he was proving the guards right. They thought he was an animal. And every day he wondered how right they may be.

It smelled pungent, with an underlying scent of mold. But it smelled juicy. It filled his nostrils and he found his head swimming with the smell. The scent reached the wolf, and it howled for the food. It didn't care about any of that, it just wanted meat.

Before he could stop himself he shoved the raw meat into his mouth and began to gnaw on the sweet red flesh. The taste made his mouth drip with saliva, and his eyes roll to the back of his head. He could hear the drumming of his heart in his ears, and it made him anxious. The world was blurring over and he felt himself being lost into the frenzy of feasting. But he hung on, and fought off the wolf as it tried to drive him to the brink madness. It scratched at the fragile cage of his psyche, and howled for control. But he wouldn't let it have what it wanted, because this was _his_ body, and _his _life. Not the wolf's.

Suddenly he dropped the meat and coughed out the mashed up globs in his mouth. He was winning the fight, for now. The Change was about a week away, and this would continue to happen until the night of the full moon. He'd slowly lose himself to the wolf, and he feared that one day he'd never return.

"Hey, are you alright?" Ichigo snapped his head up to find Rukia sitting down across from him at the table. She held a worried expression, and was staring at him intently.

"Yeah...I'm fine." He watched her move and took notice to the normality of her face. How could she not be feeling what he was feeling? She must be going through the same thing as he, and yet she sat there looking as normal as the day before, while he was dripping with sweat and his breath was labored. He hadn't even realized how odd he must have looked while fighting off the beast.

"You sure? You look a little pale." She said, feeling his forehead.

He jerked back in alarm. It was reflex. When he saw her hand coming he reacted as if someone was about to attack him. She flinched and reeled her hand back down to her tray in shock. She stared at him with wide eyes and he felt the wolf growl again inside of him, as if yearning for her touch. It paraded around in his mind with sensations of lust, and that's when he couldn't take it anymore.

"I...have to go to the bathroom..." He mumbled, jumping from his seat and running towards the doors on the opposite side of the room. She called out after him, but he ignored her as he ran up to one of the guards and asked permission to use the restroom. The man who smelled of sweat and cigarettes gave him the go and he went near sprinting down the hall.

Once inside the unisex restroom he splashed water in his face. The water was thick with rust-bits from the faucet. The bathroom hadn't been cleaned in years, and it showed in the murky walls and rusty pipes that ran along the ceiling. It smelled of feces and urine and disgusting sex. The lights flickered, and he found it to be irritating every time the light blinked in his eyes and then went off. He rubbed the water onto his face and relished in the cool sensation it brought over his hot skin. He took a drink of the water and, despite its stale taste, sighed in content as it numbed over his scratchy throat.

Ichigo looked up into the dirty mirror and stared into his tired eyes. His face _was_ pale, he noticed, with dark bags under his eyes and dirt smeared across the left side of his chin. He must have gotten it from recess a previous day. He didn't look at himself too often in the mirror, he tried to avoid it as much as possible. Mostly because he was disgusted with himself and what he had become. Every time he looked into the mirror he didn't see himself. He saw the dirty face, the dead eyes, the raw skin, the body he gained from fighting for survival. Before this he had been a moderately sized kid, but now after all the fights and days he spent exercising he was stronger. Muscle now lined his arms, legs, and torso. His chest was broader, and his shoulders were more stern. He even looked to have grown a few inches since the last he saw himself in the mirror.

This was not him. The real him was more scrawny, skinny without as much muscle, with his bright orange hair that he could never win a fight with when trying to style. His eyes were a chocolate brown, and shined with the light of a teenager ready to take on the world. He hadn't known what he wanted to do, but was ready for the challenge of finding his place in the world. This wasn't him. This man who spent his days fighting with other men, staving off women who wanted nothing but sex. This wasn't him...it was the product of an abomination.

He wet his hand and began to clean the stain.

As he submerged his face in the sink and scrubbed his skin with the water from the faucet he heard the bathroom door fly open and crash against the wall. His eyes shot up to the door, his chin dripping with water as he wiped clear his eyes to see who it was who entered the restroom.

His heart sank. Grimmjow stood in the archway of the door, a grin spread across his face.

"Well, if it isn't Ichigo." The former-biker said, closing the door deliberately slow behind him.

"How do you know my name?"

Grimmjow snickered at the young man, crossing his arms over his chest. "It isn't hard when you know the right moves."

Ichigo cursed his luck and wiped the moisture from his face. "Get out of my way Grimmjow, or else I'll beat you to the ground _again_." He said and watched the grin fall from the man's face. It was replaced by a hard scowl.

"You got lucky last time, this time I'm going to murder you_._"

"Whatever, I got to get back to my food before your _stench_ ruins my appetite." Ichigo said toughly, even though the thought of eating made him feel even more sick. But he wouldn't let this man know that.

He pushed past Grimmjow and went to open the door, but a hand slammed against it and held it shut. Ichigo turned and glared at the taller man, loathing the taunting grin that adorned his greasy face. "You weren't listening boy. I'm going to _murder_ you, right here, right now." He said, the grin returning.

Ichigo snorted a laugh. "Keeping dreaming." He said, shoving the man away from the door to open it and leave.

Grimmjow stumbled back a bit, growling and lunging forward to snatch Ichigo by the scruff of his shirt. He yanked him back into the bathroom, throwing him to the ground and slamming the door shut yet again.

"You have a listenin' problem kid?" The blue haired man snarled, standing over the fallen Ichigo as he tried to stumble his way back to his feet. Grimmjow brought up his foot and sent it into the boy's side, smirking as he yelped in pain and bent to the side holding his back. The older man reared back for another kick.

"Fucking bastard!" Ichigo yelled, spinning and catching Grimmjow's leg as it came for his head with both of his hands. He wrapped his arms around the tenant and pulled himself back, using his weight to drag Grimmjow down to the ground with him.

Grimmjow lashed out, throwing a fist at Ichigo as the boy tried to gain the upper hand. Ichigo blocked the punch with his arm and smacked the hand away as he stood over Grimmjow and cocked back his fists and started to pummel him into the murky, tiled floor.

"Ugh!" Grimmjow coughed blood as Ichigo assaulted his skull, each fist slamming down harder and harder as his eyes turned gold and his mind fizzled in anger. This man had hurt Rukia, _his_ Rukia. He would pay, dearly.

Ichigo gave one last hit to the man's temple and stood to his full height, panting. Each breath that came out was followed by a husky growl. "That was for Rukia, and for thinking you could take me on, you shithead." He said.

Grimmjow squinted through his bruising eyes and looked up at Ichigo. His face was now bloody, his cheeks and lip cut and the skin around his eyes puffing red with blood. He coughed again, a thin dribble of crimson dripping down his chin. "Ya know..." He said, his voice a rasp. "You've got some shitty eyes..."

Ichigo's eyes widened as he said this, and felt the skin around the orbs. They were glowing golden yet again, burning slightly as they shone under the light of the bathroom. He clenched his teeth, letting loose one long, powerful roar of rage as he leaned down in one swift movement and pulled Grimmjow up to throw him hard into one of the stalls.

Grimmjow crashed through the stall door and smacked the back of his head against the yellow-crusted toilet. He cried out in pain and fell back, unconscious.

Ichigo watched as the man lay limp against the toilet, his breath shallow and his face bloody. He ground his teeth together and yelled out a curse as he gripped his face in his hand.

He had done it again- lost control. He had let his anger go and was now staring down the consequences. The wolf in him was howling in victory, but he was weeping in disgust at his own actions.

Turning and catching himself in the mirror, he saw his eyes still glowing and growled. He reared back and obliterated the glass before running out of the bathroom, leaving Grimmjow unconscious in that stall.

–

The room was deep underground. Half the size of a high school football stadium. Stone made up the room; stone walls, floors and ceiling. It was a lot like the lunchroom, but ten times bigger and more spacious. Metal cages were lined in rows of seven, spaced apart so that the Changed could not harm one another. The cages were made of titanium, broad and sturdy. Bars made up the cages, the base bolted into the floor. Hundreds of them littered the room in neat rows. Above the cages, on the far wall, was glass. The light of the room reflected off of it and into the eyes of Ichigo. He stared up into the glass window, unable to see through it from this side. It was a one-way window, only see-through from the other side. And though there were many locked up inside this room he felt as if the eyes of the watchers were on him and him alone. Their eyes burned into his skin, and he wanted to claw away their gaze before he lost his mind.

It was almost time. The full moon would soon be up in the sky and every single person in this room would transform. Ichigo used to feel fear at this fact, but now he just numbly accepted it and awaited the Change silently. He couldn't do much other than lay naked against the cold bars of his cage.

He glanced back at the door, blocked by three other rows of men and women locked up, and spotted the guards watching them all with their guns lowered over their chests. They were crowd-control. They made sure none escaped, if any could even break free of their cages. Ichigo had never seen anyone get out of their cages before, but he had seen some dead from bullet wounds despite this fact.

He snarled at the men, the sound low and more of a rumble of his voice. He was tired, oh so tired. But the sounds of the others yelling and the anticipation kept him awake. Any moment now he'd be a monster. He'd become the wolf for the night and not return until morning.

He looked up to the top of his cage with haunted eyes. This metal prison was at least ten feet tall, wide enough to hold three men at once. It was in here that he'd be different. It was in here that he'd become the beast that he truly was.

Ichigo looked at the faces that surrounded him. All anticipating the Change, all naked and all just as vile as the last. Women were pressed against the cages to show off their bodies, men salivated over the women, their excitement wafting through the air to make Ichigo's nose scrunch up in disgust. He didn't look at any of their degrading actions. They were all horrible, vile people who deserved being here. Their decrepit natures made them who they were both on the inside and outside.

_I don't belong here._ He thought again and again, willing the statement to be true. But, deep down, he knew it wasn't true. He was just as horrible as them. He was a ravenous beast whose only product was destruction and death. Who was he to really judge them all? When he himself was just like them. He craved the flesh of those women parading around like seductive devils. He wanted to bash against the bars of his prison and howl at the guards by the door, to insult them and their families. He wanted to proclaim his lust for blood to the heavens, to bask in the strength the wolf gave him. He was stronger than the normal man, sharper, faster, and willing to fight with anyone who defied him.

Ichigo wanted to be the beast, because the beast did not care for petty matters such as families and friends. The beast only wanted to kill and feast. It wanted to run free through the wind, to hunt its prey and devour its flesh once it had claimed victory. Ichigo wanted to be free, of both this prison and of his own mind.

A hushed silence befell the room. The whistles of men and moaning of women quieted and all stood at attention as an eerie sensation filled the air. Ichigo held his breath, his heart pacing. This was it. It was _time._

In a matter of seconds the air was full of screams. Everyone fell down against their cages and writhed and shook. Ichigo's ears filled with the sounds of torment, everyone around him yelling in pain. He himself slammed against the bars, his aching body bombarded by the intensity of bones, muscle, and sinew breaking, ripping, and reforming. His throat went sore as he flung himself around the cage, as if he could break through the bars and run away from this agony. The sharp edge of pain racked his body back and forth, his whole body on fire.

He held his head in his hands, crying out as the sound f his bones breaking filled his ears. He tried to imagine the sound being his mother cooking eggs in the kitchen, tried to replace his screams for those of his sisters watching a scary movie. But the image wasn't strong enough to bring him peace. The scary movie was of his life, and he was the one screaming at this truly awful scene.

He raised his head high and howled out, blood dripping from his lips as his teeth moved to make place for the fangs that protruded out his gums. He felt his natural teeth sink back up into his head, the new monster teeth growing in their place.

Ichigo turned his head, staring on in terror as the people around him sprouted claws and fangs and lashed out against their cages. But they could not break free, none could. They were trapped in their own hells, forced to withstand this pain in a confined area. He didn't know what was worse; Changing, or Changing in this cramp cage.

His vision sharpened and he felt his hands ache as the black nails grew over his fingers. Smells of all kinds assaulted his nose, making his head swim. He tried to sort through the scents. He could smell the blood, the sweat, the saliva of others as they shared in his torment. He could smell the metal of his bars, the stone of the walls. The scent of the guards circled him and made him angry. He lashed out in their direction, growling with bared fangs. He locked his hands around the bars and yelled out at them and their smug grins. They were like the other ones who forced him into that room where they made him undergo this pain last month. They, too, enjoyed the pain of the infected. They saw him as an abomination, a damned one. But he wasn't. _They _were the damned ones! And he'd prove it by-

Ichigo forced himself away from the bars as a new wave of pain smacked him right in the gut. His chest was broadening, his arms and legs growing in length and girth. He couldn't let the wolf's thoughts reign. He must not succumb to the monster's urges!

As he thrashed and writhed and screamed, he caught a new scent. It was familiar, comforting. He traced the scent, following it with his nose to a cage a few rows down from him. There, curled in a tight ball, was Rukia.

Ichigo pressed his body against the cage, yelling out to her. He couldn't form her name, his vocal chords shifting. He roared, his voice having the edge of the wolf, but it was drowned out by the surrounding roars. Many were laying on the ground of their cages, morphing in their own paces. He could feel hair sprouting along his torso, and his face ached as his cheeks throbbed. He roared again, this time more desperate and pleading for her to look at him. He wanted, _needed_ to see her face. In all of this chaos he needed her to be his solace. Without her, he'd go insane. Without her, he was nothing.

_Please look at me!_ He wanted to cry out, tears running down his face. The pain was consuming him alive. It wouldn't be long before he was like the rest on the ground.

With one final howl, he fell to his knees and smashed his head against the cage, defeated.

A howl returned, and Ichigo snapped his head up to catch the molten gaze of Rukia. She was pressed against her own cage, staring directly at him with glowing gold eyes. Her mouth was open wide, sucking in breath after breath, her fangs hanging over her swollen lips. She reached a clawed hand out to him, and he mirrored her action.

He wanted to run and hold onto her, to ease both of their pain and drift into sleep with her. He wanted to stand and stumble his way towards her, to wrap his arms around her to revel in her comfort. But there were these bars in his way, and with the logic of the wolf he bashed against them with his large frame in an attempt to break free.

He felt the snout beginning to grow from his face, and could no longer hold himself up against the cage. He fell down onto his stomach, screaming still, and lay there as his jaw and forehead extended forward.

Rukia's face was becoming blurry, her body twisting and turning as she Changed. He could no longer see her. She was gone in the haze of monsters batting against cages. He tried to bring her back, tried to reach out and bring her face back into his sight. But she was gone, and soon he would be as well.

With a final howl, he fell back and closed his eyes, letting the darkness take him...

–

"Wake up."

Ichigo was jerked from his dreamless sleep by the loud pounding of boots. He felt something hit him in the side, making his sore muscles tighten in surprise. He groaned roughly, groggy and disoriented, and lifted his head from the cold, hard floor. His head throbbed, and he seethed in a sharp breath as he blinked past the pain. He cracked open his eyes, squinting through the blinding light, and glanced a group of men trudging by where he lay. He scanned the area, finding himself curled in a naked ball on the metal floor of his cage. He looked down at the light weight on his side to find a new set of clothes, clean and fresh from wherever they came from. He didn't contemplate it, because he was exposed and wanted to cover his decency as quick as possible.

He slipped on the shirt, wincing as almost every movement stabbed him in the side, then the pants, his body maneuvering as he dressed while still on the ground. Once dressed, he leaned himself up against the bars of his cage and closed his eyes to breath. His body ached, his joints and limbs almost aflame with soreness. He groaned, lolling his head around to look at the other subjects as they woke and dressed. Few were still asleep, some still waiting for their clothing to arrive, while others sat like him against their cages, looking just as sick as he felt. He watched as a woman threw her head over and vomited onto the floor, her naked chest heaving as she slumped down in fatigue.

Everyone was in bad shape. Ichigo wasn't surprised. The day after the Change, no one would be free of the aftereffects. He turned his head away from the sight of the woman who was puking and fought away his own wave of bile.

He sat in silence, not a word being spoken amongst the aching and sore subjects. The only sound being the stomping of boots and groans. He glanced the guards who were marching through the isles with giant stacks of white clothing, their arms full of the fresh smelling clothes. The smell was so foreign to Ichigo now. It was almost like a reminder of a distant memory long forgotten. It made him nauseous, and he couldn't find a way to fight the bile this time.

He leaned back away from where he had released what little he had in his stomach and propped himself back up against the bars, letting the cold metal remedy the flames that danced across his skin.

He sighed, and tried to remember what had happened last night. It was fuzzy, but it would come back to him in a few moments once he cleared his mind of its grogginess.

He sat there for what felt like an hour, before it all slowly started to come back to him. He closed his eyes and bit his lip as he remembered the pain, the screaming and writhing as he transformed into that hideous creature of the moon. He remembered reaching out to Rukia, and her out to him. He remembered the intense emotions he felt, and for a moment wondered where they came from.

Turning his head, he scanned the area for her cage, spotting her laying dressed on her side with her back to him. She had her arms wrapped around herself, shivering slightly, most likely feeling the aftereffects like everyone else.

_Rukia..._ He felt bad seeing her in so much pain. But he could do nothing, because he too was aching, and was locked up. If he could just go over there...

The guards eventually lined up by the exit. One spoke into his collar, into a tiny microphone stitched into his jacket, and a loud buzzing sound filled the air followed by the clicking of locks. Ichigo watched as his cage swung open remotely, along with every other cage in the room.

"Let's move it!"

Ichigo groaned, pushing himself unsteadily onto his feet. He leaned against the frame of his cage, trying to gain his bearings and breath, and stalked on after the other subjects that lined up to be guided to their cells.

Routine. They'd be put into a single-file line, flanked by a multitude of guards, and led back to their cells. Some would be holding their usual electric batons, some would be equipped with guns and shields- riot control- while others would be left with their bare hands. Some subjects would try and use this time to start a fight, but they'd easily be taken down. The guards were ready for a war.

Walking along with the crowd, Ichigo looked back at the cage he left and frowned. That cage would someday be the death of him...he knew it.

–

_This wasn't right. Something, indistinguishable, wasn't on the right track. Ichigo could feel it in the back of his head as he soared through the forest, naked as the day he was born. How did he get here? Why was he here? This wasn't like his usual dreams where he relived some tragic memory. This was liberating- free. The wind swished by his face, ruffling his hair, and the soft, cool grass caressed his feet as he ran. This was pure freedom, a total reprieve from the harsh world outside of his mind. _

_The trees soared past, his agile body twisting and turning and zigzagging around them. The scent of summer surrounded him, engulfed him in its warm embrace and ran its nimble fingers over his cheeks. He smiled and closed his eyes for a second, relishing in this glorious feeling. For once, after so long, he felt so alive. Life and energy coursed through his veins, running like a snake through his pumping blood. It was so warm and comforting, he wanted to curl up in a ball somewhere under the sun and bask in this feeling. But he couldn't tear away from running. He didn't know where he was going, or for what reason, he just knew that he needed to keep running or else this feeling might go away. _

_He switched from two legs to four, and sped up almost three times the pace he was moving at before. The hair on his head spread down his cheeks and down his neck, covering his whole body. It bristled in the wind, and he suppressed a pleasant shiver. He felt the dirt press down under his weight, and gave a wolfish grin at the power he exuberated. _

_The scent of a deer caught his attention, and he made a eighty-degree turn in its direction. He felt starved, as if he hadn't eaten in days, and the scent of the deer made his mouth salivate. He gave a long winded howl of excitement and charged through the trees, a blur in the background of the forest. He swiftly cut through the brush, the doe coming closer. He could smell it lazily stepping over leaves, eating the grass underfoot; blissfully unaware of his presence drawing nearer. _

_He found it, just as he predicted, munching on some grass. He circled around it, slowing to keep silent and not alert it. He slipped by the trees, brushing up against them to mark where he had been. He didn't know why he did it, he just did. It felt natural. _

_He deftly moved closer, following it as it stepped further up a leafy trail. A buffet for the deer, he figured. Well good, let it have its meal. It'll be its last. _

_He allowed a sound to ring out through the silence, stepping more forcefully against the ground. The deer snapped its head up, its large ears high in the air as it listened for the noise Ichigo had just made, checking to see if it was real or just imagination. Silence ensued, and he grinned as the deer leaned back down to continue eating. He licked his chops and let loose a low growl, this time scaring the doe. It jumped up and looked all around it, scanning the area for the danger that was Ichigo. _

_He stepped closer, making more noise. This time the deer didn't wait to see if it was real or not, and took off in the opposite direction. Ichigo bounded after it, sprinting on all fours through the forest. The wind that swished by him was coated in the deer's scent, leading him to it. He followed along the trail and caught the deer hopping over a bush. He loped alongside it, waiting for the right moment to attack. The deer was fast, hopping with all the strength of its nimble legs, but he was twice as fast. He was surprised by how easily he caught up to the animal, how easily he kept pace with it even though he knew they must be moving at least ten miles an hour. It was insane, yet he didn't care. _

_Ichigo lunged, tackling the deer and slamming it down under him with ease. It struggled against him, but he was too strong for it. He latched his jaws onto its neck and he took a chunk of flesh right out of it. It gurgled then relaxed, its weight falling dead against the ground. He feasted on its flesh, slurping the blood that stained his cheeks and chewing large chunks of the deer's body. It was delicious, deliriously so. His eyes rolled to the back of his head as he relished in the smooth way the deer's flesh slid down his throat. He nearly moaned at how good it tasted. _

_Ichigo pulled back and howled into the summer air, reveling in his kill. A glorious feeling of triumph washed over him, engulfing him completely. He leaned his head back down to finish his meal when he caught his reflection in the blood that pooled around the dead carcass of the shredded animal. His eyes widened in shock and horror as he stared at himself. Or, rather, not him, but a beast. _The_ beast. _

_Ichigo stared at the reflection of the werewolf that lurked inside of him. It growled, its shark-teeth glistening with blood. It stared back at him, satisfied with the kill. He choked on his shock, and watched as day turned to night, forest turned to city, trees turned into people watching him in muted horror, and the dead deer turned into the once human Ichigo Kurosaki. The poor boy gurgled on his own blood, his shoulder ripped open, and his skin paler than the bright, full moon overhead. The werewolf stared up into the moon, its beauty overwhelming him, but not freeing him of this dreadful feeling rising into his chest. He stared into his own human eyes, the soulless orbs that were robbed of their lively amber color and replaced by a dull, colorless glow. _

_The werewolf reeled back, and, without control, raised its head high into the sky and howled._

–

As violently as he was awaken, Ichigo did not jump from his bed and start screaming. Even though he felt the compulsion to do so strong, he couldn't find the energy to bring himself out of his bed. So he lay there, his face flustered and his eyes blood-shot, and stared up at the bed above him. His breath was labored, and he tried to calm his racing heart. He closed his eyes and sucked in a breath, relaxing into the bed he lay in. The memory of his dream came to him, and he felt his blood rushing through his veins in panic. Sweat glistened his skin. He opened his eyes and tried to suppress the nightmarish images with a whimper.

"Ichigo?"

He turned his head and spotted Rukia sitting on the bottom bunk of the other bed. He frowned softly and forced himself up slowly, groaning as blood rushed from his head to the rest of his body. "Rukia...? Ugh, what happened?" He croaked.

Rukia leaned forward, letting her legs dangle over the edge of the bed she sat on. "As soon as we got back to the cell after the Change you passed out. Been asleep all day. The guards didn't even try to wake you up for breakfast and recess." She said. "You good?" She asked.

_No, I'm insane._ "Yeah, I'm fine." He said, running a hand through his hair tiredly. "Geez, all day huh?" He said. "Longest I've ever slept in my life." He joked lightly.

"You were out like a light." She said, crossing her arms. "I was starting to think you may have died."

_If only..._

"Well, sorry for disappointing, but I'm alive." He grinned lightly at her. She just chuckled softly and leaned back onto the bed, laying her head down on the pillow. "What are you doing over there anyway? You usually sleep here in this bunk."

"You fell asleep on my bunk, asshole." She said, narrowing her eyes. "Plus I figured since Chad's in the Dungeon for another day I'd sleep on this bunk tonight. Actually talk face-to-face rather than through the beds."

He grunted in response. "Whatever," He said, rubbing his eyes and yawning. "I'm still tired...I think I'm just gonna sleep a little longer..." He said, standing and hopping onto the top bunk of the bed where he usually slept.

Her brow furrowed. "Hey, no! Don't leave me here alone! I'm wide awake and you've been sleeping all day! I haven't had anyone to talk to!"

"Just lay down and relax." He said, not looking at her as he settled into the bed.

"Moron! Wake up!" She threw her pillow at him, hitting square the back of his head.

He growled, not liking this treatment. "Hey! Don't be angry with me because I'm tired! Now leave me alone you crazy midget!" They were arguing again. This was becoming too quickly a trend which he wasn't so fond of; mostly because she'd win most of the time. And this felt like something he couldn't win.

But dammit if he wouldn't try.

"Stop calling me a midget you damn strawberry!" She barked.

He glared back at her and threw back the pillow, hitting her right in the face. "I will when you grow another foot and look _normal_, instead of like a prepubescent child!" He shot back.

"You dick!" Rukia stood and hopped from her bunk and jumped onto his to dig her knee down hard into his abdomen, distributing all of her weight into the attack for maximum pain.

"Shit!" He yelped, the air being knocked right out of him. He growled angrily and gripped her arms in an attempt to toss her off of him, but she held strong and struggled against his grip with strength he couldn't imagine her having in a million years. She was almost on par with him, and he found himself going all out in this war.

They wrestled on the bunk, trying to make the other relent with strong grips and choppy grappling. They locked arms and struggled, pressing their foreheads together as they snarled.

Time seemed to freeze. Their eyes locked, and something stirred from inside Ichigo's stomach. It felt as if something was awakened and moved up to the driver's seat of his body, controlling his actions against his will.

Their grips loosened and their cold stares eased into that of shallow eye-lids and parted lips. Slowly they leaned in and before he knew it they were kissing passionately; their lips meshing together heatedly. They moved where he was on top, running his hands over her body as their tongues fought for dominance. She moaned under his touch, driving him slightly mad as she began to grind against his body, the smell of arousal strong in the air from both sides.

Running her hands through his bright orange hair, she pressed her body against him, their groins rubbing especially together. Both moaned and ravished each other near violently. Something was telling them this was right, that this was predated from a time long ago by some all powerful force beyond their control. This was right, and be damn if it didn't feel so _good._

Ichigo ran his hands up her shirt and cupped her supple breasts, relishing in the sweet sounds she made as he massaged and caressed. He latched his mouth onto her neck and left raw marks along her alabaster skin with wet kisses. Rukia threw her head back, revealing more skin, and began to claw at his shirt, growling in frustration.

Throwing his shirt over his head and onto the floor, she began to claw at the muscles that lined his torso; muscles honed during his long years at karate. She moaned as he bite down and left his mark. He didn't understand why this marking meant so much to him, but as soon as he did it he felt that everything was perfect and that he held no more worries.

Nothing else mattered in the world expect for Rukia Kuchiki.

Clothing was removed and tossed to the floor. Before they knew it he was inside of her thrusting. The ecstasy was mind-numbing beyond all belief. Her arms wrapped around his head and she moaned right into his ear as he held her close and pumped himself back and forth inside of her, driving him into an insanity that he may never return from.

Rukia growled and clawed her fingers along his shoulder blades, leaving long, red marks in her wake. He felt blood ooze from the small wounds, but didn't care. The world became more vivid and he felt everything intensify by a hundred-fold. The wolf was out, and made him want more and more of her as they both tangled themselves with moans and predatory growls.

This wasn't like the other times the wolf came out. Usually it came out and wrecked havoc among those around it, but this time it told him to love, to caress, to claim this woman as his own. And he did, and will.

She bite him on the shoulder, and it felt so good he couldn't help but groan in pleasure. She sucked and left a large red mark, similar to the one he had left, and licked at it affectionately as he quickened his pace.

Ichigo glanced and caught her eye. Her once beautiful violet orbs were now glowing a fierce gold that stared back with a dazed look, just like his own. Her eyes were hazed with sex, and it just attracted him even more to her.

They locked in a kiss and felt the world melt away in an single instant. They held onto each other tight, their lips meshing together passionately, as their climax reached and mixed together. Ichigo felt Rukia's body convulse longer than his own as she rode out her orgasm, and couldn't help but grin as she limped in his arms and panted.

"I...I-I...I..." She was mumbling something incoherent, unable to lift her head.

He hushed her and pulled her down onto the pillow with him. He didn't have much strength either, and could feel sleep creeping upon them. He pulled the covers over them and felt her snuggle to his side as the darkness fell over their world.

–

The next morning Ichigo awoke to the smell of roses and orchids and sex. He peered through bleary eyes and found a head full of raven hair blocking his vision. It wasn't until after a moment of brain-racking did he remember who was laying next to him and what they had done the night before.

He smiled and pulled her closer, inhaling her scent. She smelt of sweat and sex, but underneath it was an aroma of roses and orchids. It was her scent, the underlying smell that lingered there forever on her skin and in her hair. He committed it to memory and sighed contently, relishing in the moment.

She stirred within his arms and groaned, waking up. He watched her lift her head and scan the surrounding area, trying to deduce what had happened just as he had just moments ago. She turned and looked at him, shocked for a second before it dawned on her that they had made love the night prior. She turned completely and snuggled into his chest, sighing.

"Some night...huh?" She whispered.

"Yeah..." He nodded. What does one say after a night of sex? He had been a virgin before this, and hadn't really thought of what he'd do the morning after. It had never occurred to him that he'd ever really make a connection like this once he entered this place, and yet here he was cuddling with this woman who had turned just about everything he thought upside down.

They were quiet for a moment, mulling over the situation with their own perspectives, before she shifted in her position and looked up at him. "What...where does this leave us?"

"Huh?"

Rukia held a pensive look, studying his face. She must be trying to gauge his reaction to it all, he figured. Trying to figure out how lightly she had to tread on this conversation. "Well..._what_ exactly was last night?" She asked, her stare never wavering from his face.

He considered this question and couldn't quite find an answer himself. What _was_ last night? Frankly he wasn't sure how it had come to it, but he knew he loved it, and by no means regretted a second of it. "I...don't know. We...had sex?" It was a weak answer- more of a question. But he didn't know how to respond without blubbering like an idiot, trying in his convoluted way to explain the situation.

She frowned and pulled back. She propped herself up on her elbows and looked on out the cell to the still dark world outside. The guards hadn't turned on the lights and announced breakfast yet. "Obviously, but...what was last night to you?" She asked hesitantly, not looking at him.

His brows rose in mild surprise. "What are you talking about? Last night-"

"Please," She cut him off and turned towards him with a hard scowl on her face, her brows knitted in thought. "Just answer me! What was last night to you?"

Ichigo stared at her in shock. The worry-lines in her forehead were apparent, and he could tell she was a bit frantic. This was a new world to her, and something as complicated as this could be the end of her already. What was he to say or do? Something as heavy as this could devastate the fragile existence both had formed inside the walls of this camp, so what would be the right answer?

The truth didn't sound so bad.

"Last night was something I've been waiting for for as long as I can remember." He whispered, averting his eyes in embarrassment. It was sappy- weak. He couldn't afford to be-

Rukia smiled lightly at his answer and leaned in to kiss him. "Same here..." She whispered, hovering over his lips, her hot breath brushing his face softly.

Ichigo sucked in a tight breath and felt his heart race faster as she leaned back in and they kissed yet again. She pushed him back down flat on his back as she climbed up on top of him and ran her hands gently down his chest and stomach. He placed a hand on her hip and another at her lower back, holding her close as their tongues played with one another.

It was bliss. He had never known something so great in his life. The smooth feel of her skin underneath his finger-tips, the taste of her mouth against his own and her tongue rubbing against his was all intoxicating. She gave out a shaky breath as the kiss deepened and he became more aroused. She smirked at him and trailed her kisses down from his mouth to his chin and throat. She kissed at his neck, sucking and leaving a small red mark as his hands explored her body, sending shivers along her soft skin.

He felt her heat press against him, and gave a low groan of want. She responded by pressing against him again. He was so close to her opening, so tantalizingly close...

"_Breakfast!_" The loud ringing of a siren echoed down the halls outside the cell, startling both Ichigo and Rukia.

"Crap..." He muttered, disappointed. "Of all the times!" He growled, sitting up.

"Ichigo! They're coming!" Rukia warned, jumping off the bunk onto the floor.

"Shit!" He followed suit and began to dress as quickly as possible. If they were caught having sex they'd be punished severely. It was against the rules to have sex, for the possibility of breeding even more werewolves scared the scientists. He wasn't sure why, but he figured other cases must not have ended well.

He had seen a couple get caught once. They apparently been having relations for a few months and were caught in the middle of the act one early morning. He doesn't know what had happened to them, he just knows that neither were seen ever again.

As the cell door hissed open and the guards came by with their prods at bay, Ichigo and Rukia stood fully dressed and waited their inspection. The guard came by and looked in at them, squinting through the darkness to spot the orange haired man standing next to his raven haired partner.

Ichigo held his breath as the guard scanned the room. He lingered for an extra second and stared directly at them both, something mulling over in his mind. He stepped back and motioned for another guard to come over.

"Hey! Get over here!" The guard called. Ichigo felt his heart race as two other men in black armor came by and scanned the room. "You smell that?" The first one whispered, shocking him. He sniffed at the air and found the scent of sex wafting around the cell like a cloud.

_Oh shit!_ His mind roared as he glanced at the panicked Rukia, who too noticed the smell and looked at him with fear. He had to think fast, or else they'd be taken away and never be seen again. It was now or never.

In one swift motion he grabbed her hand and barreled through the three men standing around the door, sending them tumbling back over the ledge and most likely to their death. He dragged the raven haired girl behind him as he sprinted down the way towards the stairs. If they could reach the main gates they could escape into the woods and be gone from this evil place.

The guards were on them in seconds, chasing after them with their cattle-prods alight with electricity, their screams following after the duo. Ichigo watched as a squad of the black-clad men ran up the stairs and blocked their way with large glass riot-shields.

They couldn't make it through them. They were trapped- backed up into a corner where they'd be captured and tortured. He looked back at the following group and found them creeping up slowly with their weapons out facing them. They knew it was done, and were being cautious.

"I'm so sor-" He was saying when Rukia yanked on his arm and pulled him over the ledge and down to the ground. The shock being absorbed by their powerfully enhanced legs. No normal human could have survived this fall without breaking a limb or two, but they not only survived but were not harmed in anyway.

He felt his legs shake slightly for a second before Rukia took lead and pulled him along to the main gates of the cell-block. If they could get through there and through the corridor they'd be home free. With that thought in mind they pushed harder and sprinted for the doors.

The guards caught their bearings and moved to block their way, but were not fast enough as Ichigo and Rukia burst through the doors and went charging down the corridor with the guards trailing behind them.

_Almost there!_ They rounded a corner and saw the light of the morning beaming through the windows that lined the hallway. The wolf inside was coming out as the adrenaline pumped through their veins and fueled their purpose. They'd be free. Free to love and _live_.

As the main gates came into sight, their hearts leaping in joy as the prospect of escaping came to fruition, a tirade of black figures materialized out of no where and blocked their path to freedom, guns pointing straight at the pair as they slid to a halt. They turned and found another wave of the gun-bearing men blocking them in.

They were cornered. There was no way out of this. If they tried to climb the fence that lined the path they'd be caught before they made it eve halfway, and barreling through the platoons would be suicide. There was no way out. They had failed.

_I'm not going down without a fight!_

The men rounded on them, their guns pointed high, and Ichigo struck out. He threw Rukia down onto the ground and threw a punch to the closest man, breaking his visor and throwing him backwards into a group of others, disarming them. The others swarmed him, but he flailed about with hard fists and kicks in an attempt to give himself and Rukia some room.

"Run!" Ichigo wailed, kicking away another guard who was aiming down at him with his gun. They had a few moments before the guard realized they couldn't bring them down alive and would start firing. If he couldn't make it, then she would. He could die knowing that the girl next to him would survive.

"Ichigo!" He looked and found the guards had already restrained her. They were pulling back into the mod of men and leading her back away from him.

"_NO!_" He roared, his eyes blazing with anger and his canines sharpening to pin-pricks. He began to fly into a frenzy, sending back man after man with his attacks, but in the end he couldn't do it. There was just too many, and they all subdued him after a harsh beating. They restrained his arms and pulled back into the facility, his head lolling as he wavered between consciousness and unconsciousness.

With the last bit of energy he had left, he raised his head up high and howled out into the sky in anguish.

"_Rukia!_"

–

Ichigo found himself locked up. Waking up with a splitting headache and sore body, he realized that where he was locked up was a special kind of prison, more barred than the Dungeon. This place was meant for test subjects who were on deck for inspection.

He screamed and pounded the walls for days, crying Rukia's name until his throat went hoarse. The room felt more desolate than anything he had ever ever experienced. There wasn't any bucket for him to do his business, and they didn't feed him each day like they did in the Dungeon. He felt starvation start to creep up on him after what felt like months, but was actually only two weeks.

Curled up in a ball, shivering at the cold, he heard a clicking noise coming from the other side of the door. He jumped to his feet, foregoing his modesty, and charged for the door as it opened. But the guards were quick to knock him back with the buttes of their guns and pin him against the wall. He struggled, but to no avail. His hunger made him weak.

"You mother fuckers!" He snarled, flailing about in rage. He needed to see Rukia, _needed_ to make sure she was fine.

"Calm down Kurosaki-san. Everything will be fine if you just cooperate with us for a few moments." Another man came walking into the room, his white coat billowing around his knees gently as he entered the room.

It was the same man who had questioned him after he transformed in the Dungeon. "Urahara Kisuke..." He growled under his breath.

Urahara Kisuke was the lead scientist in the development of the cure for Werewolfism, but also the creator of the disease. From what Ichigo knew of the man, he overlooked every experiment and conducted more than half himself. It was this man who killed so many, for if it wasn't for his experiments there'd never have been this epidemic.

"Yes, I am Urahara." The man said, staring down at the orange haired man under the brim of his bucket hat. "And I'd like to ask a few questions of you yet again, Kurosaki Ichigo." He nodded at the guards who held down Ichigo and they let go. He shrugged them off and clenched his fists in anger.

"Why would I want to talk to you? You're the damn reason I'm here in the first place!" He spat.

Urahara seemed to take this into consideration before turning and yet again nodding at the men. They gave one last withering glance at Ichigo before leaving and closing off the room, leaving Ichigo and Urahara alone within the damp walls of this new prison.

"I understand what you mean, my boy." The man said, pulling off his hat to reveal a head of wiry blond hair. The man seemed to be worn down, for the stubble on his chin was beginning to gray and his features were locked into a state of tension. His shoulders were taught, and his legs were shaky. He wasn't scared to be alone with the orange haired werewolf, but was tired beyond all relief. "I'd just like you to answer some things for me, and I will pull some strings for you, sound fair?" He offered.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes. "What are these 'strings' exactly?" He inquired.

Urahara chuckled. "You're a very intimidating guy, Kurosaki-san. You know that?" He said and stared on with old green eyes. "If you cooperate correctly I may be able to reunite you with your Kuchiki-san. From what I hear, she misses you dearly, and from the look on your face you miss her just as much."

Ichigo barred his teeth, gripping the man's collar and holding him up against the wall. "Where is she? Bring me to her!_ Now_!" He ordered, growling.

The door clicked, and Urahara placed his hand on it quickly. "It's alright boys! Everything's fine!" He called out to the guards before returning his gaze to the angry nineteen-year-old. "You may want to calm yourself before-"

"Shut up!" Ichigo barked. "_Where is Rukia?_"

Urahara's eyes narrowed and his expression took on a more darker tone. "I don't like being man-handled, Kurosaki-san." He grabbed onto Ichigo's wrist and yanked at it painfully, forcing the boy to double-over in pain and let go of the scientist's collar. "Now, please just answer my questions and I will try my very best to reunite the two of you."

Ichigo yelped in pain as the man's grip tightened. How was he so strong? No normal man could bring this much pain to a werewolf, especially not one who looked so worn out and tired. Could he be...?

"You're...one of us?" Ichigo ground out through the pain erupting through his arm.

Urahara was silent for a moment before letting go of his arm. Ichigo slid back and cradled his arm like a baby who was crying. "Yes," He answered finally. "I'm the original werewolf."

Ichigo's eyes widened as he gasped. "You...you're the original?"

Urahara nodded solemnly. "Yes. It was my experiment that caused all of this, so it only makes sense that I too was infected doesn't it? I was the closest to the explosion." He said, his eyes drifting off as the memory played over again and again in his mind.

Ichigo stared on in awe at the man before him. He was the first one to ever be infected, alongside being the one to have caused all of this. He had never known this. No one had. "Then why?" He asked, standing and clenching his fists as anger bubbled to the surface. "Why did you let this happen? These camps are nothing but hell on earth! And yet you let the other werewolves endure this place even though you know what it's like to be one of us?"

The man stared on as Ichigo's nostrils flared and his teeth clenched painfully together. "I'm sorry." was all he said.

"Sorry?" Ichigo wailed. "You're _sorry_ for allowing this place to exist? Do you have any idea what this place does to us? What has happened to us? Do you know how many men and women I've seen die because of this hell-hole?" The tension that had been building up for nearly two years was coming out in full gear now. He was releasing every bit of rage that lay dormant within him onto this man- this monster.

"I know," The scientist whispered. "I've seen many die. In and out of this place." He said, not meeting Ichigo's eyes. "I've personally killed so many in the hopes of ending it all. But nothing ever works, and yet here I am still trying to save at least who's left. Even though who's left may not be around for much longer..."

Ichigo watched as a tear fell down the blond haired man's cheek. The anger subsided and he felt slightly sedated from it all. This man was clearly haunted by his actions, and was just trying to atone for his sins. "If you're so sorry, then why let it continue?" He asked.

Urahara looked up. "Huh?"

"Why let all of this go on?" Ichigo said. "Why not let us go? Why not let us try to live our lives as normal humans? We can do it! This thing only happens once a month! Every other day we're perfectly normal!" He implored. "Please...let us go!"

Urahara sighed and rubbed his eyes. "It's not that simple, Kurosaki-san. The people are too scared of us, and will stop at nothing to eradicate us. It'll be a world-wide war within itself, against itself." He said.

Ichigo felt his shoulders drop. He was right. The nations wouldn't be able to cope with the fact that once a month their people changed into blood-thirsty beasts. It'd cause panic with the normal people and would soon escalate into unneeded blood-shed.

"What do you want?" Ichigo said, staring down at his fists.

Urahara placed his hat back onto his head and nodded. "The relationship between you and Kuchiki Rukia, what is it exactly?"

Ichigo blinked and stared at him in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"What do you feel for Rukia-san?"

Ichigo answered without hesitation. "I love her." He said. The time spent inside this place had given him the time to think it over, and he came to this conclusion without a fight. What he felt for her was beyond anything he had ever felt before. He would die for her, and would kill for her. He would give himself completely to her if given the chance.

He couldn't live without her.

Urahara seemed to think this over before speaking again. "I see. And you're sure of this? From what I've seen she's only been here for the duration of a month."

"Don't get testy with me," Ichigo warned, glaring. "I love her, no doubt. And I'll do anything to see her again."

The hat-wearing man stared into the heated eyes of the other man opposite him. He saw the fierce determination in his eyes, and felt something familiar click within him.

_I know how you feel, Kurosaki Ichigo. _

"Understood." Urahara said, turning and knocking on the door. "That'll be all then, Kurosaki-san. I will see you again sometime. Until then, I wish you luck." The door opened and in came the guards to escort the scientist out of the room.

"Wait!" Ichigo called after him. "What about our agreement? Can I see Rukia?"

Urahara smiled back at him over his shoulder. "Don't worry my boy, in due time you shall see your beloved Rukia." With that the door was shut and Ichigo was left alone with his thoughts.

–

It was a whole week and a half before anyone came by his room again. He could feel that the Change was coming, for his senses were getting sharper and sharper by the day, and he felt restless every second of every day. Of course, that could be because he was so worried about Rukia.

The door creaked open and in came men in white garb with a restraining jacket held up for him to see. They threw a robe for him to wear and instructed him to put it on. He wrapped the gray piece of clothing around his torso and was restrained in the jacket before he knew it.

Ichigo was lead down an unfamiliar corridor towards a destination he didn't know of. This was a completely new part of the facility he had never been to, and felt a sense of fear rise within him at this. This new place could mean a hundred different things. This could be where the more cruel experiments went down. This could be where they bring werewolves to be executed. Thoughts raced across his mind in rapid succession, fueling the anxiety that rose up into his throat.

He found himself in front of a white door. The men in white garb unlocked the jacket and freed him before unlocking the large barred lock and throwing him inside the brightly lit room and re-locking the door behind him.

"Ichigo!" He turned and found Rukia standing at the other end of the room wearing a similar robe as he. Her hair had grown longer over the time he last saw her, now swaying about her shoulders, and she had dirt marks all over her cheeks and forehead. She was in the same shape as he, for the time spent in the Dungeon had dirtied them and left them not groomed. His hair was longer as well, now reaching below his ears, and dirt stains marked his body.

"Rukia!" They ran and embraced, holding onto each other tightly. They pulled back and kissed, transmitting how much they had missed each other through their lips. "Are you OK? What did they do to you?" He questioned, running his hands over her face to make sure she was real and not just another dream.

"They locked me up...told me if I answered some questions they'd let me see you!" She said, mimicking his actions. Both were in hysterics, and kissed again to calm their shot-nerves.

"Rukia, I'm so sorry..." He whispered, running his hands through her hair. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't tried to make a break for it we may have-" She cut him off with a finger to his lips and shushed him, placing her forehead against his and staring into his eyes lovingly.

"It's not your fault, Ichigo. You did exactly what I was about to do, just that you beat me to the punch." She said, smiling lightly.

Ichigo returned the smile and felt his heart burst with relief at knowing she was alright. He was about to pull her into another kiss when the sound of speaker-phone buzzing to life echoed through the room.

"_Can you hear us? Testing._" A voice came over the line, followed by a short wave of static.

"Who is that?" Ichigo called out, anger lining his voice. "What do you want from us?"

"_Perfect, you can hear our voices._" The sound of multiple voices echoed in the background of the speaker as the main voice spoke. There was a quick humming sound before he spoke again. "_We're here to conduct a very crucial experiment that may, or may not contribute to our research valiantly._"

"What are you talking about?" Rukia said, stepping a bit closer to Ichigo. "What experiment?"

"_We've deduced that as each moon passes you fall deeper and deeper down into your baser instincts. As such we also believe that the two of you have fallen to the point of finding a mate based on instincts rather than logic. With this theory we're going to watch and record what happens when the two of you changed together._"

"What?" They both gasped in unison. "You can't do that! We'll tear each other apart!" He wailed, staring directly into the camera aimed at them with a red light blinking rapidly next to the lens. He couldn't see them, but they could certainly see him.

"_Rather you kill each other or remain perfectly alive is up to you. Our last subjects hadn't reached the stage we believe you two to be at yet, so we have high hopes that the two of you shall fuel our research brilliantly. We will see if you two are actually in love, for if you are the beasts won't harm one another. Wolves do not attack their mates._"

"Please don't do this!" Rukia pleaded, tears brimming at the corners of her eyes. "We're not animals! We're human beings!"

"_Incorrect,_" The voice said. "_You two are _werewolves_. Not humans._"

"Let us out!" Ichigo began to pound on the door, trying his hardest to rip it open and escape. But it didn't even rattle, for the locks were too strong for his hunger-deprived body. "Please! Don't do this!"

"_We are at Full Moon._"

–

Urahara Kisuke stared on at the brilliant, glowing moon above in the sky. It was full tonight, and was as beautiful as ever. He had always found the orb to be so glorious, and had as a child dreamed of walking on it. Even now, as he stares on and feels the transformation creep up on him, he marvels at the sheer power the moon radiates.

He should have been locked up an hour ago. In every camp there was an office designed specifically for him with a special cage set up inside of a room built behind a bookcase. Every moon he'd have his assistant Tessai lock him inside and let him out the morning after. An hour ago he should have been locked up. An hour ago someone should have been there to turn the key. But Urahara gave Tessai the night off, assured the assistant that he'd have someone else he trusted do it. But instead here he stood, outside in the open air staring up at the beautiful moon in wonder.

The pain was becoming unbearable. He faltered in his stance, but kept strong and held his balance. He had grown accustomed to this pain, and could for now endure it. But he didn't have long before he lost himself to the agony.

He fished around in his pockets and lit a cigarette, inhaling the nicotine then exhaling it in a bloom of smoke. He watched the smoke rise into the air then dissipate, ceasing to exist on its own, and starting its new existence as part of the wind.

He winced, nearly dropping the flaming stick between his fingers. He breathed in, steadying his laboring breath before taking another, long drag. The length of the cigarette shortened greatly, and he almost coughed at the flood of the nicotine in his lungs. But he held his composure, and blew it all back out through his nose.

It was amazing he had lived so long, he thought. He had been smoking for almost fifty years now, and knew that his lungs would be blacker than night if it wasn't for his affliction. He supposed that was something to be grateful for. Though, it was hard to truly be grateful.

Pulling out a small device from his coat-pocket, he thought back to his family who he had left behind when this whole thing happened. His beautiful wife, Yoruichi, and two wonderful children Jinta and Ururu who were the pride of his life. He would give anything to be with them again. But how could he when his name was one of disgrace and shame? The Kisuke title was not something to be proud of, not anymore...

What would they think of him now? What would they even be like after these seven long years? Would they ever love him as he is now? After what he's done to the world? Could he ever be forgiven...if not by them, by anyone?

He'd like to see them again, even just once. He'd love to see one of his daughter's drawings which he used to think were masterpieces for someone so young. He'd love to see his son play baseball and watch him become the all-star his father knew he would become. He would love to kiss his wife and have one of her home-cooked meals again, followed by a nightly session of passionate love-making. But all of this was wishful thinking. What he was now is not what he use to be. They'd never accept him for what he was or what he had done. He was forever doomed to be alone.

_But,_ He thought as he traced his throbbing fingers over the lining of the button on the device. He watched as claws started to sprout from his finger-tips through crusts of blood. _They don't have to be doomed like me._

Urahara was an inventor- a maker of gadgets and creator of all things science. Before his time as a biologist he had dabbled in chemistry. He had studied all forms of science, but as a child he had found chemical reactions and the effects they produced over a subject of matter to be so incredibly fascinating that it was what he pursued into adulthood. And, for some time, he was the lead developer of bombs and weapons for his country. He had worked on a new form of explosion, one that was caused by a device that was, perpetually, untraceable. There was no indication that it was there, no radio signature that could be spotted by scanners. It would be triggered manually and, with what given time you had, would detonate in a concentrated flurry of fire and shrapnel. Destroying the intended target.

They had deemed the finished product unsuitable. It was too experimental and the success rate had only been sixty-six percent. They only wanted a hundred percent, and anything less was deemed unworthy by the military. It was after this mark against his record did he switch to the biology division- his second major.

He figured that was his mistake. He should have stuck with what he loved, stayed in the chemistry field. But, no, he switched over to the study of living organisms and how they evolved.

Evolution.

That was his motive. All of this insanity started when he had the inane idea that maybe, just maybe, he himself could be that shove against humanity towards the next step. He had wanted to help create the perfect human, the perfect person. Stronger, faster, smarter. A better league of people without prejudice because everyone would be the same on the inside. They would all sleep the same, eat the same, fight the same, have sex the same. It was an ideal dream, but one he shouldn't have pursued.

Urahara wanted to be the man who pushed the human race along, but ended up being the one to set them back a peg. What he created was not an evolutionary step forward...but a mutation.

The thing he held in his hand was the very device that had made him transfer off his path. The detonator of his new-age bomb. With it, he would set everyone and himself free.

No one would see the other devices attached to each and every lock holding down the Changing people inside. By pressing this button, he would condemn even more men and women to their deaths. But what was a few more deaths atop the already mile high list of names he had personally condemned? By doing this he would be saving hundreds, and that was enough for him.

_This is the lesser of two evils._ He reasoned. It was a faulty logic, but it was all he had.

He pressed the button and heard the loud explosions go off with his ever-enhancing hearing. He turned and listened as yells echoed through the corridors of his mind, reminding him of all the others he had made scream. He wasn't a bad man, not at all. Just a good man, with a good purpose, with twisted methods and a bad outcome.

This was his redemption.

_I wonder...will I survive this?_ was the last thought that raced through the mind of Dr. Urahara Kisuke before he fell into oblivion with a sharp-toothed smile.

_Probably not. _He was fine with that.

–

The guards watched in horror as the cages that held the Changing men and women suddenly exploded and let loose the ravenous beasts within. The monsters all emerged from their cages and roared in fury as they lashed out and began their campaign of killing.

Guard after guard fell as they all weren't fast enough to escape the large wolves chasing after them. The monsters tore them limb from limb, devouring their flesh with greedy mouths and insatiable hunger.

The walls were painted with gore.

None would make it out alive.

–

Ichigo felt the entire room shake violently as the door gave a red glow and blew off its hinges. He had to shield his eyes from the light, for his vision was becoming more vivid and the light would have blinded him had he not raised his arm.

He looked up and found the door crumbled on the ground; billowing smoke rising into the air. The sounds of the scientists over the speakerphone were frantic and in shock. They didn't know what was happening, as neither did he. But something was telling him this was fine. This was good. He felt at peace seeing the door open like this.

Ichigo turned towards Rukia, who was on her hands and knees, shivering in pain, staring on at the door just as he. Their eyes met, and a thousand emotions transmitted between the two in that moment.

Everything would be fine. There was nothing to worry about. Ichigo crawled over to raven haired woman and took her smaller hand in his own, squeezing tightly as she gripped his hand in return. He watched as claws began to spurt out from both of their hands, crawling from their knuckles out their fingertips, but this didn't matter. He knew that they wouldn't hurt each other. Not in a million years.

"I love you Rukia." He said with a smile, despite the pain tearing his mind to shreds.

"I love you too, Ichigo." She said and returned the smile.

The world dissipated into a peaceful darkness in which they shared together.

_They were finally free to live their lives._


	4. Epilogue

**Epilogue!**

**-Edited-**

* * *

_**November 25, 1985.**_

_Reports say that the local Japanese Werewolf Rehabilitation Camp site has had a wide-scale break out. The infected had apparently somehow escaped from their designated Changing areas and went on a killing spree that lasted long into the night. Hundreds were killed in the riot, both human and werewolf alike. It is currently unknown how this disaster happened, nor is it known who was behind it all. The Military has been sent in to investigate. _

_Further coverage later on. _

_**December 2, 1985.**_

_It was found that strange explosives were attached to the locks of all the cages the werewolves were locked up in. The Military are unsure of what models, or from what country these devices are, but are more baffled by what they found at the Camps. _

_Reports show that the subjects of these Camps were forced to undergo inhumane experiments and torture from the guards and scientists alike. Based on the prison system- the werewolves were forced into dark pits where they stayed for who knows how long, and were made to live like animals in the mud. _

_It was discovered out back behind the facility that the scientists buried the dead bodies of the werewolves once they were done with them. They were subjected to carnal violence from the guards, often being beaten to death as is deduced from the inflicted wounds of the deceased, and other werewolves. _

"_This is just sick," Says Lieutenant-Major Shuuhei Hisagi- the leader of this expedition. "We didn't know that these poor souls were being tortured like this. And we damn sure would have stopped it if we had known." _

_It goes without saying that the Camp was shut down. _

_**December 14, 1985.**_

_The body of Romanian scientist Urahara Kisuke was found today far in the woods outside the now closed Camp. Headlines are exclaiming that it was he who freed the subjects from their prisons that full moon and is now being praised a hero for putting an end to the madness the Camps brought with them._

_**January 10, 1986.**_

_All across the nation Werewolf Rehabilitation Camps are being shut down for improper treatment of their subjects. Families are suing the Government for the ill-way their loved ones were being treated, forcing it to pull the plug on the entire operation of finding a cure of "Lycanthropy". _

_**January 21, 1986.**_

_A new law has been passed that any and all werewolves are to be returned safely to their families and given a resolution fee for the way they were subjugated in the camps. It was passed after a couple who were a part of the original break out in the Japanese Camp came forward and told of their tales of life inside their cages. _

_The law has been dubbed "The Kurosaki Way" after Ichigo Kurosaki and his soon-to-be wife Rukia Kuchiki- of Kuchiki Corp. who funded and backed up the notion. _

"_What has been done to our kind is cruel and unjust." Mr. Kurosaki announced at the press conference. "This law will try and appease those who were wronged in this life and finally return them home where they belong."_

_Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia Kuchiki are both infected who had undergone the terrible atrocities of the Rehabilitation Camp. Both had escaped in the madness of the massive break out and had been found together wandering the streets naked by police officials days after._

_The couple was last seen holding hands with their families around them; their support and undying love apparent on their faces. _

_With the Camps closed and the new law in place all infected are rejoicing as new laws are being placed to accommodate werewolves all across the nations. Thanks to Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia Kuchiki all werewolves can rest easy. _

_**-End-**_


End file.
